Welcome or welcome back. It is great to see people starting to fill up the campus again. I think we are all looking forward to the new year and seeing old friends and making new ones.
Below, you will read many articles full of optimism and excitement about the school year ahead. However, this newsletter begins on a sad note. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the loss of our cleaner, Emmanuel Kitomary and our Swahili teacher, Paul Malimi, over the break. A group is working on plans to remember these well respected and much loved members of our community and details will be shared with you soon.
As you can see below, we are in the process of finishing construction in many areas. This has not stopped the teacher orientation or the orientation for new D1 students and so they have been active around the chaos that always occurs before the first day.
While more and more of those on campus and in Tanzania are starting to get vaccinated for COVID, we still need to be safe. We have updated our Health Guidelines and Self Screening Guide and have posted them on our website here.
Lastly, please remember we have both this year’s calendar and next year’s calendar accessible on the publications page of the website.
Residential students I will see you Monday and for everyone else I will see you Tuesday.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Construction on Campus
As you come onto campus you will likely notice a few changes. From the new building to the renovations and alterations around campus it means everyone will have something they have not seen before. As we have relocated the health center and expanded the social center, please take some time to look around and refamiliarize yourself with the campus.
Ben’s Corner
Karibu Sana to another year of living and learning together at UWCEA. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Ben Morley and I am very proud to be entering my fourth year as Deputy Head here in Moshi. I will be supporting teaching and learning from EC-D2, working alongside the students and teachers and, hopefully, contributing in any way I can. I will strive to continue to use my little “corner” of the weekly newsletter to keep you informed about ongoing learning across the school and beyond, to highlight specific events or share details of special days. Above all, I hope to celebrate our collective achievements.
Last year was a hugely successful year for the school in spite of everything the world seemed to throw at us! Of course, a school should be measured by far more than just it’s exam grades but a special mention to the graduating class of 2021 for achieving such fantastic results. The grades, scholarship funding and university places secured by our graduates are a lasting testament to both them and their enormously dedicated teachers.
If you are new to our community, we hope your time with us is richly rewarding, full of adventure, both within and beyond the campus, and that you go on to form friendships that last a lifetime. Remember, we are all connected by our Guiding Statements. These Guiding Statements are and should always remain aspirational. They are not the end result but, rather, something we should try and move a little bit closer to each and every day. Indeed, we share a collective responsibility to do all we can to continue working towards these. What’s more, they should never become a means to judge our shortcomings. They are a lens through which all our decisions and thinking as individuals and a group should be filtered. So, in these increasingly disconnected times, let us continue to use our Guiding Statements as a way to bring us together and remember to be patient with each other, to be understanding, realistic and, above all, to be kind.
Lastly, a heartfelt thank you to all the support and ancillary staff (and leadership team!) for their ongoing efforts over the “break” to make sure everything is more or less ready for face-to-face learning on August 10th. We have much to be thankful for.
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
First allow me to introduce myself, my name is Margaret Brunt and I am the Diploma Programme Coordinator. I am your contact for academic issues. My email address is dp_moshi@uwcea.org
It has been a busy week on campus. Many D1 students have already arrived and have been participating in the orientation arranged by the D2 students. They have been shown around campus, and Moshi town and have found out about the OP trips. We talked to them about their subject choices and they had a few days to make changes. Over the next few days, we will enter the details on ManageBac which you will be able to see. If you do not have access, please let me know. Classes start on Tuesday. If students want to change subjects, they can come and talk to me and we will see what can be done. At the end of August, I will email you with their subject list. After this any changes require more discussions and paper work. I will be talking to them in the next few weeks about other aspects of the diploma and will share information with you.
The D2 students are starting to arrive and it is good to see them back. Hopefully they have worked on their EEs and IAs over the break but have also taken time to relax. I will meet with them this week to talk about what they need to do as they prepare for the next semester.
Margaret Brunt – DP Coordinator
Residential Life
Karibuni Sana!!
Welcome to UWCEA – Moshi.
What a few days we have had. Slowly but surely we have had more and more arrivals each day and with each incoming flight / vehicle it carries with it new life, energy, culture and a realm of perspectives.
Nervousness, excitement, anxiety and all range of possible emotions have encompassed this week and I am in awe of how the initial quietness of our residential houses has morphed into homes of singing, card games and friendships.
Our orientation committees have been welcoming students from the airport, introducing them to key staff, guiding them through school, our town and our culture – Both of which are unique to Tanzania and our school!
Get to know you games, ice breakers to ease the nerves have been endless and our cultural evening brought together our 43 different nationalities through songs, dance, poems and all sorts of presentations. This is what UWC is about!
From an orientation point of view, the year couldn’t have started better and in conjunction with our planned activities ahead, our new arrivals still to come and returning faces, I am excited to embrace the journey that awaits us.
In the global climate we live in, to have over a 100 students already on campus and our MYP’s and PYP’s still to come, we are incredibly fortunate to be open and welcoming students into beautiful Tanzania.
As many have said, let us enjoy this week, embrace the challenges, take risks, ask questions, show gratitude and of course, be kind.
For any queries you may have, please continue to contact me and for those still to come, we are eagerly awaiting you.
Simon Johnston – Head of Residential Life
MYP News
Welcome to all MYP students and parents. We are working hard to get prepared for your first day here next week. For some students this means a transition from PYP or a different school and curriculum. We will be working with you to ease the transition. For parents we will have some informational sessions starting later in the month, please watch the newsletter for more information.
At M4 and M5 we are working through the course selections, so if you have not completed the forms sent to parents, please do this. I look forward to meeting and working with all of you.
Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
Sports Update
We are busy preparing for a new school year of sports and activities here in Moshi. Currently this involves setting the on-campus sports and activities schedule which will be set with students and staff in the following two weeks. We will also be attending the NTSAA meeting later this month to discuss what may be possible over the course of the semester.
Lastly new students and parents will be informed shortly of their house so they can obtain house shirts and get ready for a new year of house competitions.
Gilbert Kaburu – Sports and Activities Coordinator
Music
From the Music Department:
Dear parents, This is to remind you that we have individual music lessons for the piano, guitar, drums and woodwind instruments available on a weekly basis. If you would like your child to begin or continue with individual music lessons, please come to the music department and speak to Mr. Samuel or Mr. Emmanuel to arrange a suitable time. We aim to begin lessons in Week 3.
Community Choir:
The Community Choir is a singing experience open to all members of the school and local community. All that you need in order to attend is a love and enjoyment of singing. This year the choir is hoping to meet on Wednesdays at 1630 in Rafiki Hall, but please look out for confirmation in future newsletters. The Community Choir hopes to begin in Week 4.
From the Counselors
The UWCEA Moshi Counseling team welcomes you back to a new school year with lots of positive energy and enthusiasm. The world continues to adjust to another chapter of the new normal and we hope that you have been able to relax, recharge and spend treasured time with yourself and your loved ones over the holiday.
As we said goodbye to University & Socio-Emotional Counselor Ms. Cassandra Ford and Socio-Emotional Counselor Emmanuel Kileo, we welcome two new members to the team. This year the roles will be separated with Andrea Kitomary serving as the University Counselor and Frida Marealle as the Socio-Emotional Counselor.
Mental health and wellbeing as key components in life remains in focus and we will continue to expand the community’s socio-emotional resources and support in various ways. Additionally, we are proud to announce that all teachers are completing a Mental Health First Aid course to be as certified Mental Health First Aiders. This opportunity broadens the campus’ understanding of mental health challenges and equips teachers with the skills to identify and respond accordingly.
We are looking forward to get to know and partner with you, your child and the UWCEA community. Please reach out to us on counselor_moshi@uwcea.org if you have any questions or concerns.
We are here for you!
Enjoy this last weekend before the fun begins!
Warm regards,
The UWCEA Moshi Campus Counseling Team
Outdoor Pursuits
Dear Intrepid Outdoor Enthusiasts,
Welcome to yet another year of UWCEA OP where we are planning to take our program to new heights. This year is shaping up to be the busiest Outdoor Pursuits year in the history of ISM and UWCEA. The aim is to have over 30 trips with all 4 branches, Plains, Peaks, Rides & Reefs all running from Level 1 to Level 5 throughout the year. With large numbers of students enrolled I think we will also have a record number of participants taking part in our diverse and enthralling program. Take a look at all we have planned for this semester.
We start almost straight away with the Reefs Level 1 trip on the second weekend back, this will mean students need to be organised and ready to go as soon as school starts back. Sign ups will close on Thursday the 12th of August. Please start having conversations with your child/parent regarding which trips you would like to take parts in and can afford both time wise and financially.
Other news, we have rebranded our program so that the UWCEA Outdoor Pursuits has a logo and a new look. To choose our logo a competition was held at the end of last year and students, teachers and community members entered their designs. Over the break all M1 to D2 students on both Moshi and Arusha campus had the opportunity to feedback on the ideas they liked the most and a clear winner was chosen. This is the winning entry. This design will be developed into a digital version and used on all documents and merchandise for our program.
Robin Marsh – Experiential Learning
Advancement Office
We are ready to kick start the new school year with the amazing UWCEA merchandise. Feel free to pop up at the advancement office to get these. Have a great school year ahead
PYP News
Holidays are exciting but it is always good to come back to normal routines. We have a number of new families and we welcome you wholeheartedly. Also, welcome back to our returning families. It is going to be a wonderful day on Tuesday seeing new and old faces and catching up with one another.
Teachers will be sending home information about their classes as well as forms to fill in. You will be receiving class schedules and information concerning each class’s first unit.
After school clubs will start the week beginning Monday 24th August – a sign up link will be emailed to you during the second week of school. We are a small staff and in order to offer the children a wide range of after school activities we rely on some of the Diploma students offering clubs for our PYP children. The Diploma students have just arrived on campus and will not be in a position to decide whether to offer a PYP club or not until they have settled in and finalised their own schedules. It makes sense for us to wait for the second week of school before we send home the club options.
A reminder that, in line with the guidelines set out by the school board, visiting adults to campus will be required to wear a face mask when entering any building. Please read the health guidelines on the school website regarding self screening and Covid related procedures.
We are looking forward to seeing the children on Tuesday, 10th August. Thursday, 19th August will be the PYP Meet the Teacher Evening – more details to follow later. We hope you all enjoy the last few days of the holiday.
Welcome back to school and a particular welcome to all who are joining us for the first time. The beginning of school is always exciting as we make new friends and catch up with each other.
We are starting this school year with a new unit:
Transdisciplinary Theme: Who We Are
Central Idea: What we do matters to others.
Lines of Inquiry:
How we behave towards others.
How we behave in different situations
The impact of our behaviour on others.
Our coming week will be full of bonding activities that get us orientated to our class and school community.
Please send in a healthy snack, a hat, indoor shoes that will remain in class through-out the quarter and a water bottle. EC1/2 will need to come to school with a change of clothes.
We are looking forward to a wonderful year with you all.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2 Class
Welcome to the 2021/22 school year! I hope all parents and students are well rested and ready to go, I know I am! I am very excited to be seeing all the students on Tuesday, I look forward to a week of getting to know the students, playing games, setting up routines and having fun.
On Tuesday, students will bring home a series of paperwork that will inform our learning this year, please take a look at it, and complete the parent survey and send it back. Please remember to send in a hat, water bottle, and pair of indoor shoes with your child on Tuesday. Should you have any library bags at home from last year, please do send those in too.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing everyone in school on Tuesday!
Elisha Jaffer
P3/4 Class
A fantastic school year awaits us in P3/4! There’s so much to learn and terrific units of inquiry. Ms. Catherine and I are excited that we’re welcoming 2 new students into our class- Malaika and Joseph. On Tuesday, information about our schedule and upcoming events will be sent home. All that is needed for the first day is a healthy snack, a water bottle, a hat and a great attitude! Though we will not be having show and tell as a weekly activity, students can bring in something on Wednesday if it helps them to tell the class about their summer break. We will take our time this week settling into routines. We are looking forward to the year together!
Kacey Buckley
P5 Class
Welcome back! I hope you had a good break. Ms. Lydia and I are very much looking forward to meeting the P5 class next Tuesday. We are in room 16 and the school day will start at 7:30 and end at 1:10pm. Please send your child with a hat, a named water bottle, some indoor shoes/slippers and a healthy snack. If you still have library book bags from last year at home please send those in too. I don’t normally do a regular show and tell session but if your child has something to show related to their activities over the break (a photo, something they found on the beach etc – nothing precious!) please feel free to bring it in on the first day to share during our class “What have you been doing over the last 7 weeks?” conversation. I will send home a letter and schedule on Tuesday plus a request that you let me know your preferred contact email for me to send correspondence to, so please look out for those papers in your child’s bag on the first day back.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
Welcome to a new school year families! I am looking forward to exploring and learning with all your children this year. The classroom is feeling good, but it is missing its greatest component, the students! We have some new families joining us this year, which will be exciting, and we welcome you all to the UWCEA community.
The first week will be spent getting to know one another, the classroom, and the procedures of the P6 class. We will write our classroom agreements as well to help have a happy and healthy classroom community. We are also going to jump into my favorite unit- the plant unit and begin with getting our seeds in the soil.
I look forward to seeing you all on August 19th for our Meet the Teacher evening. If you want to get a head start you can email me at sarahbrummel@uwcea.org so I have your current email on file. Please email any questions that may come up throughout the year. Please remind your child to bring a water bottle and healthy snack to school.
