Moshi Campus News – 23 May 2021

Yesterday was another step towards semi-normality as we had our graduation on campus again after last year having it online.  While there were many parents that could not travel, the students themselves were able to be together for the event.  For all the parents who could not be there a separate email will be sent with a link to the video and pictures.

The actual event was beautiful, and this is due to the efforts of many people including Geraldine, June, Joelle, Agnes, Mimi, Brigitte and Suzanne. Our parents continue to amaze me with the work they do for these events.  While the graduation itself was the final event, the students turned it into a three-day affair.  On Thursday they organized a lovely dinner with the teachers that included gratitude from the students and words of wisdom from the teachers. On Friday the M5 and D1 students joined the graduates for a goodbye dance.

This week we have Book Week as well as the PYP Exhibition (starting at 5pm in the community garden on Wednesday), Blood Drive and M5 Exams.  You can learn more about these, as well as sports and other upcoming events, below.

Bob Cofer

A while back I was watching an interview with world-famous author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She was interviewed by a French journalist. One of the questions the latter asked was: ‘Are there any book shops in Nigeria?’, to which Adichie calmly and amusedly replied: ‘I think it reflects very poorly on French people that you have to ask me this question.’ Indeed, I was shocked as well and thought to myself: ‘What a stupid question to ask. There is so much great literature coming out of Africa. Maybe that should be our theme during book week.’

So, what’s happening during book week?

Book Doors – Decorate the most original, environmentally friendly book door inspired by an African author. The best book door group can share something sweet. Deadline: Thursday, 27.5.2021

Dress-Up Day – All students are invited to dress up on Monday 24th May in line with the Primary Student Voice suggestions: African story characters, characters from stories set in Africa, African authors and illustrators, African literary heroines and heroes…

If not possible, any book character  is fine as well…

Assemblies – PYP and Secondary will lead separate assemblies. MYP and DP assembly takes place at 10.30am on Monday 24th May in Karibu Hall.

DEAR – Drop Everything And Read! When you hear ‘DEAR’ over the school speaker, drop everything and read for 10 minutes.

Get Caught Reading – take a photo of yourself or somebody else reading in a fun situation or location. Send the photo to Mwegelo and Caroline via email, or simply drop it in this folder. Caroline and Mwegelo will print the photos and put them up in the breezeway. The winners will be published in an upcoming newsletter.

Short Story Competition – write 100 words on paper. There is no theme but your story should somehow be connected to Africa. Hand it in in front of the staff room, we will put a box for MYP and one for DP stories. PYP students, give your stories to your teacher.

Last year’s winners: 

• P3 – Garvin
• P6 Townes
• M4 Ananya
• D1 Kate

There is a little prize for the winners and the stories will be published in an upcoming newsletter.

I’m reading-wall… – Add your poster to the wall that started growing close to the staff room. Send your poster to Grace Mushy, who will print it out for you. Ms. Julia will hang your poster on the wall.  I’m Reading… 

Breezeway Painting
Some students from the campus beautification project are going to continue the wall paintings on Wednesday during service. Join and help them or watch them paint!

Julia Fibicher

The Well-being committee has planned a variety of actions for this special month which is announced to be the Mental Health Awareness Month. This year’s theme of the Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK is “nature”. As we live in this wonderful area surrounded by trees, flowers, animals, and the biggest of all- Kilimanjaro, our committee has planned an amazing dinner on the 27th May 2021 for the school community and some KCMC members in the theme of ‘nature’. We want this dinner to be a comfortable event for everyone to take a break for a moment from the chaos of the finishing semester.

The Well-Being committee has also decorated a board outside Ms. Cassandra’s office. “What brings you JOY?” is the message for all of you to take a moment to think and write your thoughts on the letters J O Y to complete the picture of joyful things to our school community.

We will be holding a Blood Drive on the 24th May from 10am-6pm in Rafiki Hall. Please see the poster for more information.

On the weekend where we say a fond farewell to our D2 graduates, what a perfect time to share our tenth and final Value from our UWC East Africa Guiding Statements, The happiness and well-being of our community. Our community has been a place of very mixed emotions over recent days as we celebrate our graduating students and look back on an eventful, challenging but, ultimately, successful year of living and learning together. Well-being is something we constantly reference and we are alway looking for ways to support each other and this is something we must all continue to do.

As for happiness, surely this is what it is all about? Is this not what we are all aiming for? As the saying goes, “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” So, at such a pivotal moment in the lives of our departing graduates, I asked them what this statement means to them.

 

“Our school is such a happy place. Of course, there are times when we are feeling down but we all look out for each other, support each other and care. If one person is unhappy, this can cause a chain reaction but, at the same time, when someone is happy, this makes everyone else feel happy too.

A school is about relationships. The relationships I have made here will stay with me forever. I go with nothing but happy memories, well, mostly happy! I have never been somewhere where there is such a sense of community, such solidarity. People are open, encouraged to be themselves and everyone is included in everything. Nobody is left out and there is always someone willing to listen.

The OP trips, the sports, the activities…everything! Right up to the Talent Show last week. I have so many memories. I know I take these with me and keep them forever. I have been happy here.”

…and, so, that is that. The ten UWCEA Values. Remember, our Guiding Statements are aspirational and always should be. We must all strive to live and learn together with these Values as our guide. It is not enough to display them on the wall or showcase them on our website or in this newsletter, we must all do what we can to bring them to life and, in doing so, move closer to fulfilling our Mission.

Ben Morley

This week has been a busy and emotional one for D2 students. A large group had Biology as their last exam on Wednesday morning, followed by Psychology in the afternoon. The exams then ended with a small group taking French on Thursday afternoon.

Thursday evening the D2 students hosted the teaching staff for a dinner party. They decorated Rafiki Hall and planned the seating so that staff and students sat together. There were many pleasant conversations. They treated us to entertainment including some most likely to awards and a musical performance. We then took photos of each table group. After staff slipped off, they got a chance for a small disco. This was a very enjoyable event and was much appreciated. Friday saw graduation rehearsals and then the students going shopping or to the salon.

Saturday was the big day. We assembled outside Rafiki for photographs of different groups to provide memories for the future. Parents and other guests then assembled in Karibu Hall. We really appreciate that everyone followed the covid precautions we had put in place. The students walked in in pairs with a teacher and then took their places on the stage. Thanks to our wonderful co-presidents for being MCs for the event. Watching the entire D2 class singing the National Anthem was impressive and as Ms Anna said they are children of Tanzania. Each student was introduced to the audience before being presented with their High School Diploma by Ms Hilda Mungure from the Board of Governors. We had performances from three students and the awards for Academic Performance, Academic Improvement and the Chibber Award for contributions to the school and community. Congratulations to the winners. The students who had been unable to travel home last year were made Honorary Chaggas in a memorable ceremony. After a short speech, the students were then presented to the audience and then had the recessional walk out. Then it was time for photos, cake cutting, snacks and more photos. Photos and videos will be made available soon.

The D2 students have now left campus. A few will be staying in an off-campus house until they can get flights, some are travelling with family or ujafamilies and others are already on their way home. It has been a memorable two years and we wish them all the best.

The D1 students have not been forgotten. We met with them on Wednesday and talked through some exam procedures and the deadline calendar. We also talked about the process for predicted grades. They have one more week in school before the end of year exams. The week after the exams they will get exam papers back and then spend some time on experiments for the group 4 IAS. The final week will see the TOK exhibition, followed by an EE/IA workday and then sports day.

Margaret Brunt

Dear MYP families. The next 4 weeks are going to fly by. We have a lot of fun activities going on next week with book week as well as exams for M5.

Please keep an eye on the school calendar as there are many different events happening. Above is the MYP timeline.

Jeanne Aman

What a wonderful week of celebrations and tribulations it has been here in Residential Life.  As already mentioned above, our D2 students have finished their examinations and embark on their new journey. It has been truly special to be able to meet so many families in person and I am very much looking forward to the weekend ahead where we celebrate their moment and a closing of this chapter in their lives.

For our D1 and MYP students, we brace for impact as we head towards assessments, but not without a much-needed physical break this weekend joining the well-highlighted Lion Rock Hash. Symbolically, this was the very place where our D2’s officially began their journey together two years ago.

In addition to this, our Kimbilio students were hosted by our cultural committee in our Kisiwa common room and our young PYP students had their first experience of ‘Diploma life’ – dominating the floor, couches, and kitchen as they watched movies and snacked with our older students.

This weekend Kimbilio have pizza making with our activities committee and from a personal note, seeing our Diploma students involved with our MYP students in academic mentoring and now activities with our PYP, highlights to me an increasing growing culture of holistic involvement and care for one another. How residential life should be. 

I wish all our D2’s the very best as they move into their new adventures. Safe travels, our residences shall be somewhat quieter for the next few weeks….

Simon Johnston

Celebrations and Well-being

Another round of applause for our graduates and all of the people in their lives who have contributed to their achievements thus far in life. (Wild applause and standing ovation!) Taking time to pause and celebrate the successes along the way is an important aspect of maintaining mental health. We must all recognize that life is full of moments to be grateful for and enjoy to the fullest even in our toughest times. The more we make it a habit of celebrating along the way, the more we become able to build our reserves and persevere through the difficult times 2 get through this thing called life (Prince).

As we thrive through the month of May, we continue to highlight the fact that it is Mental Health Awareness Month. The theme this year is “You Are Not Alone,” and there are many resources available (US based) to help provide a better understanding of mental health issues and to learn how to help. Please take a look at the National Alliance on Mental Illness campaign via this link to learn more about the work being done to combat the stigma of mental illness.

On to the post secondary planning side, and the reality that as our graduates leave us, they are headed off in a multitude of directions. This leaves the current D1s in a position to begin thinking more clearly about what they want to have solidified about their future plans at this time next year. Recently, the Dean of Admissions from Georgia Tech shared an important message for parents who are supporting their children in their post-secondary planning process. Please take a moment to read through his message via this link. It includes a snippet from the movie, “Remember the Titans,” which is based at the high school in the United States that I used to work at, and where my son graduated from. It always brings such pride, and a sense that anything is possible.

This week we had a few presentations about post-secondary options that were directed at our UWC community. It was great to see parents joining along with our students. This is such a critical time to learn more about the variety of post-secondary options available for our students, and it is wonderful to see parents getting involved in the process. Please take a look at the recording still available and the ever growing list of upcoming presentations on our Upcoming Visits List.

As we enjoy the fabulous festivities this weekend and ahead over the last month of school, we remind you that we have compiled resources that you can tap into if you are facing mental health or well-being challenges. The COVID-19 Counselor Resources contains many resources that we have organized to address some of the issues that members of our community have faced during the pandemic and beyond. If you have any additional resources you think we should consider, we would appreciate your willingness to share with us.

Celebrate and continue to persevere,

UWCEA School Counseling Team

Next weekend on the 28th and 29th of May we will be taking M1 – D1 students to Arusha Campus for a Sports Weekend Lite.  This will involve a mini track and field event on Friday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm with some basketball in the evening under lights. Saturday be comprised of mainly team sports with Frisbee, Touch, Netball, Basketball and Volleyball played by U13, U15 and U19 students. Primary swim squad will have a swim meet on the Friday, 4th of June here on Moshi Campus with the primary from Arusha Campus. The meet will start at 10am. It is scheduled to finish by 12:30pm but may run a little later. On the same day the Arusha U19 girls’ soccer team will take on our U19 soccer girls at 1pm. So, we have lots to train for and prepare for some good competitions.  Please ensure you are encouraging your child/ren to make every training session for the sports they have registered to play over the next 4 weeks so that the teams are ready to compete. This will be beneficial at 3 levels, 1) it will help the teams to perform better 2) It will keep them active and healthy 3) It will help them with their preparation for exams as it is shown that when people exercise, they commit knowledge to long term memory better.

Go Leopards
Robin Marsh

There are only two trips to go this semester for our OP program and they are the Mountain Biking L4 trip through Arusha National Park to Maji Moto hot springs and the Mountain L2 hiking trip to South Pare.  Both these trips go out next weekend on the 5th of June.

The first ever Level 5 Water OP was completed by 4 enthusiastic eco warriors last weekend who have dedicated this year to learning how to dive and saving the coral reefs on Tanga’s north coast.

They have also loaded the coral nurseries with more coral and have observed the first coral growth on these nurseries, a huge success as it was only planted a month and a half ago.

On arrival they also had a surprise and had to do a “service”/recreational dive collecting a whale sound monitoring device from 18m under water so that recordings could be downloaded for the marine biologist in charge of the project. This coupled with amazing dives surrounded by huge schools of bait fish being rounded up and eaten by Giant Trevally fish and seeing a Giant Ray really made for an unforgettable trip.

UWC East Africa is synonymous with Outdoor Pursuits.

Over the past year, in spite of the pandemic, we have actually seen our programme expand. We now offer four different OP Programmes – Flatland hiking, Mountain climbing, Marine exploration and Mountain Biking. These disciplines will be labelled Plains, Peaks, Reefs and Rides. The number of trips being offered has increased from 8 to 30!

To that end we would like to invite our stakeholder community to design a logo that will represent our Outdoor Pursuits Programme. This logo wil be used on our marketing material as well as stamped on our OP equipment, merchandise and social media.

Remember that the logo should be relatively simple, easy to replicate but eyecatching. There are no specific conditions to adhere to and we welcome your freedom of expression. Submissions may be digital or hand drawn.

Submissions should be made by email to philbowen@uwcea.org no later than Monday 31st May 2021.

Your Outdoor Pursuit Team

Thank you very much to Alvin in P6 for organising the inter house plastic collecting competition. It was a great event which saw students of all age groups from EC to D2 collecting plastic rubbish and removing it from our school premises.

Thank you to Mr Ian for organising the French house competition for MYP/DP where students had to log on to a French vocabulary site and identify as many French words correctly as possible.  After counting up the scores the results were as follows.

• 3rd – Meru
• 2nd – Kibo
• 1st – Mawenzi

As you can see the results are remarkably close indeed. In the last month we have had the lead change from Kibo to Meru and now to Mawenzi. It is anyone’s competition to take. There are several competitions coming up in the last 5 weeks of school and these will determine who takes home the house shield.  We have a science and maths quiz in the pipeline and in the final week we will have Primary and Secondary sports fun days where students will take part in Touch Rugby, Netball and Ultimate Frisbee to decide the house champions.

We hope to see as many of you as possible supporting our learners this coming week.

On Monday, the 24th of May, at 7:45am in the morning, we will be parading on the breezeways  in our costumes, showing off our book characters.

On Wednesday, the 26th of May, from 5 to 7pm, P6s will be presenting the culmination of all their hard work of their Exhibition. They will start in the Community Garden at 5pm. The presentations will take place inside different classrooms so please wear a face mask.

On Friday, the 28th of May, you are invited to attend our annual Gathering of Gratitude. All classes will be sharing a message of gratitude to those who have helped them during the school year.

Deborah Mills & Mboka Mwasongwe

Book week is always my favourite part of the school year. The children completed all the components of their door design. They will assemble it on Monday ready for you to see. They also made butterfly wings out of tissue paper and cards. These will be assembled and displayed in the glass case near our classroom. Eric Carle has inspired quite a bit of art which we will continue to create in the coming week.

Thank you Mama Florence for coming to read to the children this week. The book you read to the P1s (‘Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty) spurred on quite a bit of inventions. The children spent the following two days planning their inventions in their sketchbooks. They will spend next week Tuesday creating some of them.

Don’t forget to let me know when you will be able to come and be a mystery reader this coming week. Thank you to those who have already shown their interest. We are looking forward to having you.

Mboka Mwasongwe

This week we found out that our rain gauges do not work. They didn’t gather the water from the rain, which had us all stumped. Even though there is open space above the rain gauges, we had no collection of water. We have thus decided to transform this into a locale based experiment. We shall move our rain gauges to an open space next week, and see if we get better results.

The students have been farther inquiring into measurement, and looking at what things are larger and smaller than 1 meter. Next week, we hope to use our measuring skills to see how far we can throw objects.

We’ve made the water cycle in a bottle this week, and have observed the changes in the bottles over the course of two days. Next week we’ll further explore the different states of matter. Perhaps with some ice cream.

Please remember to email me should you wish to be a mystery reader for our class next week.

Monday 24th May is Dress up as your Favourite Character (challenge: African character), and Friday 28th May is the Gathering of Gratitude. I hope to see all parents there.

Elisha Jaffer

To be honest, our class was a bit uncertain about the new unit, lots of new vocabulary, pretty grown-up concepts, not nearly as exciting as Endangered Animals! But we’ve jumped right and found that there are exciting things to learn about Economics. On Friday after we talked about importing costs and wages to employees, a student remarked, “I’m never going to look at the prices in a store the same way again.”

P4 is thrilled about Book Week and it looks like we’ll be at 100% participation for the costume parade on Monday morning. (We will still have swimming later in the day so kids need to bring a change of clothes.) We will work together to create a wonderful book door featuring Anansi the Spider. Please do remember to send in photos for the Get Caught Reading fun and let me know if you’d be able to pop by the classroom as a Mystery Reader!

We hope that you can all join us on Friday morning for the Gratitude Gathering in Rafiki Hall. We’ve got so much to be thankful for this year!

Kacey Buckley

The children enjoyed presenting their research on natural hazards on Monday. Thank you to all who were able to attend. This week we have been inquiring into forces. The P5 students spent some time outside investigating if heavy and light objects really do fall at the same speed. They also considered the good effects and unhelpful effects of friction. Next week is book week. The focus of Monday’s costume parade is Africa. The children are invited to dress up as a book character from a book by an African author or a book that is set in Africa. They are also welcome to dress up as a book character of their choice. On Tuesday the P5 students will participate in a writing workshop online. During the week we  hope to have mystery readers call into class to share stories with the children. On Friday there is a Gathering of Gratitude at 7:40am and we hope all parents will be able to attend.

Deborah Mills

Next week is the big week! Please join us Wednesday night to learn all about the passions that have driven the research for the past two months. Yesterday they had a practice run recording their slideshows onto zoom and sharing their boards so we can upload them onto the school website, as well as share them with family who are unable to attend. PYPx T-shirts also went home yesterday, so please remind your child to wear them on Tuesday.

With all the exhibition excitement, please do not forget that we are also celebrating our love of books next week. Please email me if you would like to come in and share a favorite book with the class. Book week celebrations will start Monday morning with a parade, and them dressing up as a favorite character in a book.

A reminder that next Monday is our camping trip followed by a visit to the Arusha campus to learn all about their PYPx experience.

Sarah Brummel