The last week has been a week of recovery and preparation here on campus. Recovery from the wonderful week without walls and project week activities and preparation for the upcoming accreditation week.
It is actually also going to be a very rare double newsletter week. The information from the MYP activities is so large we are sending out a separate newsletter for just that. In the following weeks we will also follow up with information from the project weeks.
Just because these events are over does not mean that we having nothing coming up. There are two OP trips this weekend, 2 more at the end of the month, PYP trips and sports events on the calendar for the rest of the semester. Plenty of opportunity for students to learn outside of the classroom.
I will not go into the accreditation process as Ben and others have done this below, but I would like to say that despite our best attempts there will be some disruption to the normal schedule. We ask that you understand that the benefits will outweigh the short-term challenges.
Allow me to finish by reminding people that we have a long weekend coming up starting on February 25th.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Upcoming
We wanted to let you know that we are organizing a bake sale on Friday 18th during break time on the breezeway. The money we raise is going towards the TEDx event that is happening on March 12th. We will be selling brownies, cookies, cakes, chocolate balls, donuts, and cupcakes.
Ben’s Corner
Next week, we welcome back evaluators from the Council of International Schools (CIS), Middle States Association (MSA) and the International Baccaleaurate (IB) onto campus…well, kind of! As with many things in today’s world, we have to adapt to the current situation and, as a result, the visit will be conducted virtually.
For UWCEA, not wanting to do things by halves, we are welcoming three separate authorising organisations into our lives at the same time. All IB World Schools are regularly evaluated to ensure that the standards and practises of its programmes are being maintained. Evaluation takes place at least once every five years. As part of the process, schools engage in a self-study that is a key element in their continual improvement.
Of course, we have a very long standing relationship with the IB as the first school to introduce it to the continent in 1977. We have also long been accredited by both CIS and MSA but, again, the process is, rightly, ongoing and continual.
To achieve reaccreditation, schools must “infuse their programmes and offerings with international and intercultural perspective so that students can move forward with the attitudes and understanding that will provide them with a solid base wherever their studies or work may take them.”
The ideals of these organisations marry perfectly with the Core Values of the UWC Movement and all schools that are part of the community share a common desire to provide students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to pursue their lives as global citizens.
From Monday, our virtual visitors will spend time in conversations with all stakeholders, as well as observing learning across the curriculum from EC to D2…through live streaming!
As a school, we have chosen to be part of the process as we feel it reflects a commitment to an ongoing external quality assurance process to enhance student learning and continually improve as a learning community. It reminds us all of the importance of always looking for ways to grow as an organisation, a value-added process towards self-improvement.
It has been an absolutely colossal undertaking for the staff on top of everything else happening at the same time, so, fingers crossed everything goes well next week.
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
24-hr Run Update
15,356 laps ran, 33% of a scholarship raised!
It’s nearly a month since the 3rd edition of our 24-hour Run scholarship fundraising event. This time we dedicated the event to the McCulloch-Malimi Scholarship in honor of Paul Malimi (Moshi) and Neil McCulloch (Arusha), two beloved teachers who passed on in 2022.
A lot of effort went into the 24-hour Run this year. Many people came out to walk, run and dance around the lower pitch, and many more contributed to the scholarship fund- well done and thank you all!
The UWCEA 24-hour Run is a fun event with some positive competition. We have raised 33% of an annual scholarship, so far. A special mention to the A-team for raising the most funds, an impressive $3,464!
Collectively we did a total of 15,356 laps. The Non-stoppers stayed true to their name and did the most number of laps (2,663 laps).
The scholarship fund helps the school to give more students from various backgrounds an opportunity to attend the IB Diploma at UWC East Africa. Fundraising for the McCulloch-Malimi Scholarship is on-going so teams can still become the top fundraisers.
For D2 students the week started with the last mock exams. The majority of students returned to class on Tuesday while the last few exams took place. Exams will be returned and reviewed before mock reports are issued. The focus is now completing missing work, a few still need to finish the Extended Essay or Higher Level essay and some IAs. The TOK essay and Mathematics IA are due in the next few weeks. The final orals and the final CAS interviews are coming up. The next few months are important for the D2 students but being balanced is crucial for success.
We met on Thursday to talk about graduation. Their last day of school will be April 22nd. Exams will start on April 28th and finish on May 20th. Graduation will be on May 21st. More details will follow.
For D1 students they were back in class after project week. In mentor time, they reviewed project week and will be presenting to their peers about what they did on the 21st February. The “Make it Bloom” group are having a bonfire on Saturday to introduce the community to the changes they have made to the Community Garden.
In class teachers have been talking about the Extended Essay in their subject. This is part of the core of the Diploma. Students write 4000 words on a topic of their choice with the help of a supervisor. Students have until March 8th to decide in what subject they would like to write their essay.
The D1 Global Politics Class had a guest speaker, Charles the community leader at Simba’s Footprint foundation. He talked about his experience of the transformation of the NGO from an orphanage supporting 9 kids to a community centre supporting over 500 children. His personal stories brought a valuable insight to approaches and pathways towards development and the conversations continued over lunch.
Margaret Brunt – DP Coordinator
MYP News
MYP Success Stories Growth Mindset Episode #13 “Evaluation is creation: hear it, you creators…”
As you may all notice while reading this newsletter, our school is up for some really exciting events starting February 14th, 2022. One of our most exciting events is our IBMYP Evaluation.
What is IBMYP Evaluation? As we are aware, the IB programme helps the schools to “develop their capacity to implement IB programs, in order to have a greater effect on student outcomes through the development of teaching practices and leadership.”
Through the evaluation of the IBMYP programme, the school takes part in extensive reflection of the standards and practices and their effective implementation in the teaching and learning process. Through this reflection process, we identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement. It is a collaborative process between the leadership team, the educators, the students, the parents and the community as a whole. Everyone involved in the school must work towards a common understanding of all standards and practices for the programme framework.
The IB evaluation process is divided into four parts:
1. The Preliminary Review 2. The Self Study Process 3. The Visit 4. The Report of Evaluation
This is a big milestone in our journey as the MYP team has been working very hard to help the programme develop and “make the MYP happen”. Extensive work has been done on developing unit plans, creating inquiry based learning experiences, producing rigorous and authentic assessment tasks and promoting life-long learning as a quality to instill in all our IB learners. Now, it is time to celebrate all that and plan our next steps!
We are looking forward to our week ahead. Stay tuned for exciting news. Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
Our MYP Photo Gallery of the Week:
M1s IDU trip to an eco-friendly house project to explore both Language Acquisition (French) and Mathematics.
One of our M5 Personal Project Products!
Micah hosted a talk about financial literacy for teenagers in the school community!
Residential Life
“A family tie is like a tree, it can bend but it cannot break.”
This week I was reminded of this African proverb by a colleague of mine. Its words resonated with me as I sat in the background of our Kivuli MYP talk led entirely by M5 students. Their theme was ‘how to thrive, not survive’. Residential Life is a family and with this commitment comes both highs and lows. What would life be without them? It is the highs we remember and the lows we learn from. What has made this week resonate with me is the accountability of students wanting to make a change. It started with Kivuli on Thursday night banding together to change a culture and it will grow over the course of the weekend with an array of events.
Whilst many of our basketballers head to Arusha campus for a charity event, Paulina (D1) and her team are officially opening the new design of our Community Garden. Her thoughts are below:
How can students relax after school, find a quiet place, and not be bothered by anyone? Is there a place that can be their personal space when they need it? I don’t think we have many of those on campus. Common rooms – they are common, private rooms – are they private when we have roommates? Study rooms are full of students as well and sitting on a bench next to the pathway does not scream ‘privacy’ either.
That is the reason we proposed the project “Make It Bloom”. Our group was working on one of those little isolated spots on campus. We cleared the garden and arranged the space to seem more tranquil and open. That was just one initiative, but we managed to give the garden a second chance to become a place for people to relax in peace and have a moment for themselves, a piece of privacy that we all want and need so much.
As not many students previously used the garden and are unaware of any changes that were made, we would like to invite everyone to a bonfire on Saturday evening. It will be an opportunity to enjoy the night with the warmth of fire, guitar music and stars above our heads, all in the close presence of nature.
We have all been reminded that Valentine’s Day is around the corner and Zofia (D2), would like to officially announce that…
Love is in the air! Kijana and Kijana Extension would love to invite all of you to our Valentine’s Dinner. It will take place on the 14th of February (Monday) at 6.00pm in the dining hall.
For this special occasion, we designed a dress code for all of us to get involved in the celebration of love! If you are taken, wear red. Singles are encouraged to wear pink. If your relationship status can be described as ‘complicated‘, wear purple or blue. On the other hand, if you want love to stay away from you, wear white.
Additionally, we have plenty of activities planned and we hope to see all of you there to celebrate this special day.
We may bend, but it is our peers, education and community who shape us.
Simon Johnston – Head of Residential Life
Sports Update
TALISS-IST Invitational Swimming Championships
After an almost 2-year absence from national competitions due to COVID-19, the following children have qualified and will be participating in this upcoming, and one of the most important national galas for Tanzania, which we will be hosted by TALISS-IST at their Masaki Pool in Dar es Salaam:
Ciara M Girls 9-10 Rhea C Girls 11-12 Aiden M Boys 13-14 Joel R Boys 13-14 Hugo vZ Boys 15-16 Delhem R Boys 15-16 Benjamin R Boys 15-16 Sil K Men 17 & over Maria B Women 15 & over
They have 2 weeks of hard training left with most of them now training up to 5 times a week. We wish them all the best of luck!
Swim Squad Mini Swim Meet This event was held on Tuesday this week to help our swim squad members qualify for the TALIS Swim Meet in Dar. Swimmers from PYP, MYP and DP took part. I would like to thank all the swimmers who took part, ground staff who helped set up, and parents and students who volunteered as timers, marshals and MCs. A special thanks to Coach Debbie, Coach Sabini and Ms. Christine for putting this all together.
Upcoming fixtures
UWCEA Arusha Charity Basketball Tournament on Friday 11th – Sunday 13th February (3 – 5 pm)
TALISS Invitational Swim Meet 2022 on the 26th and 27th of February
NTSAA U13 Basketball Tournament at Braeburn on Saturday March 5th
HOPAC U19 Boys and Girls Basketball Tour to Moshi on Saturday March 5th
NTSAA U15/U19 Netball Tournament at Arusha campus on Saturday March 5th
NTSAA Primary Swimming Gala at UWCEA Arusha on Friday March 11th
NTSAA Secondary Swimming Gala at UWCEA Arusha on Saturday March 12th
NTSAA U19/U15 Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament at Braeburn on Saturday 19th March
NTSAA U15 & U13 Boys and Girls Football Tournament at Braeburn on Saturday March 19th
Blue Sand U19 Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament at St. Jude on Saturday March 26th
Gilbert Kaburu – Sports & Activities Coordinator
Volleyball Club
Afro Dance Club
Outdoor Pursuits
Our first 2 OP trips for the semester went out before the Week Without Walls (WWW). We had the Usambara L3 trip and the Rides L2. We are following this up this weekend with another double header with Plains L3 and Rides L3 both out now. After this we will have our last chance for D1 students hoping to summit Mt Kilimanjaro during their time here at UWCEA to complete a level 3 Peaks trip with the 2nd edition of Mt Hanang this year. This is a challenging and rewarding hike on some of the steepest mountain hiking trails in our program.
Here is some of the action from our 2 trips.
Peaks L3 – Usambara
My experience in the Usambara mountain range is definitely one to remember. Learning about the history of Usambara through our hospitable tour guide and host was truly wonderful. The trip involved getting to experience the local culture and nature in Usambara hands-on, which proved spectacular. We spent a total of 3 nights camping in tents, and summited 2 mountains, both of which gave great views over the Usambara region. What set this trip apart from the other peaks trips I have taken thus far, was how integrated we were with nature. We were hiking not only the peaks themselves, but the actual trails, in forests, and through national parks, which gave lots of different terrain, with many altitude and climate differences. Overall, I loved the trip, and I can’t wait until the next level! Ella D1
Rides L2
Rides level 2, probably the most challenging OP trip I’ve ever gone for. I was told by my classmates before I went on the trip that the first day would be uphill and nothing but, and I thought that it would be a breeze but no; the first day we left school at around 9 and for the first hour I was feeling amazing, if only the rest of the way was like that. After around 2 hours, I could feel the seat under me and it was increasingly becoming harder to sit and ride the bike, followed by a few uphills that I can’t say I rode up completely (they were definitely some walks in between); around 3 hours later we made it to our destination, followed by pitching up tents, relaxation, dinner, a brief meeting and rest. The second day, we were told was going to be a mixture of uphill and downhill, so I was feeling optimistic; however, when I sat on my bike, I realized that I still could not sit on the bike, anyway the problem was fixed; a sweater on the bike seat to add more cushioning, it definitely made it better. We began our journey with a bunch of downhills, so again I was feeling optimistic. Second day; probably the most adventurous day because we got to ride (more like hike/walk) through a forest and bike over a river. The breeze was very welcoming to keep it short and then we made a quick stop at a cathedral; a very gothic looking one at that. Followed by uphill riding, sore muscles, sore bottom, and exhaustion, but anyway we made it to Umbwe Sec. (our final destination). Third day, the best day in my opinion! Downhill, downhill, and more downhill and less sore muscles. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, the nice breeze, the easy ride, impeccable happiness; we made it to school at around 11:30 AM. Overall, I would say that it was a successful trip because it challenged me and made me realize that I am stronger than I think, and friendships were created, and some were made stronger. Can’t wait to see what Level 3 has in store!
Robin Marsh – Experiential Learning Coordinator
PYP News
Valentine’s Day is around the corner and there will be a few surprises for some this coming week. Let us continue to show kindness, appreciation and understanding to one another. Being open-minded can go a long way to build our community.
The prom committee will hold a Valentines Bake Sale, on the 14th of February during break time 10:10 – 10:30am, in the Breezeway. Baked goods will be 2,000 or 3,000. They will be selling cookies, cupcakes, brownies, lemon cake and chocolate squares. The TEDx committee will also be holding a bake sale on Friday, 18th. It is great to support these fundraising initiatives but please note that participation is optional. If you wish your child to participate please send them with spending money on Monday and/or Friday.
Movie night has been moved to Friday the 18th of February from 4-6pm in Room 4. Those who want tickets can still buy them before Thursday break time so snacks can be organized. Tickets are 5000/- each. The children are eagerly looking forward to this day.
Our accreditation virtual visit begins on Monday. We are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase the learning and community spirit of our lovely primary school.
Upcoming dates: Friday 25th – Monday 28th February – Long weekend holiday
Deborah Mills & Mboka Mwasongwe – PYP Coordinator
Primary Voice
Student Voice would like to let everyone know that their cancelled movie night has been rescheduled to Friday 18th February from 4-6pm.
Tickets are available for purchase for students who still want one till Thursday break. Tickets cost 5000 and will include popcorn and a drink.
EC/P1 Class
The beginning of this week was wet and muddy. The children were able to explore pebbles and rocks as materials that we use. Next week, they will be making musical instruments out of pebbles as well as taking a nature walk around school looking for structures made from rocks.
On our class board, you will be able to see our recycled paper. Once the paper was dry, the children made beautiful dotted patterns and placed these on our board for you to see. P1s linked their work on 2D shapes and used the recycled paper to make shapes.
Next week, we will begin exploring 3D shapes. Remember, these shapes can be linked to our work on materials so please carry on these conversations at home. We will be exploring spheres, cones, cylinders, cubes and cuboids. You can begin to point out these shapes found in ordinary objects at home.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2 Class
There is lots of excitement about our new unit on the Solar System. The students are looking forward to learning about the planets and have brainstormed a series of questions they have about space. We have started off by looking at the planets, what colours they are and will begin to start ordering them in their position from the sun. We have also continued to work with fractions this week. The students have demonstrated an excellent ability to determine whether a fraction is even or uneven. They are now looking at identifying halves, quarters and thirds. We played a game this week to see how many out of 4 bean bags we can throw into a hoop. It was a good chance to be competitive and learn about yet another form fractions take!
Elisha Jaffer
P3/4 Class
Our Exploration Unit is underway! We had fun this last week learning about Vikings, Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus. Students are already making connections about how exploration had positive and negative effects on the people involved. The highlight of the week was our mini-scavenger hunt when children gathered pictures from around the world that depicted some of the things that Marco Polo was surprised to see on the Silk Road. Ask your child what he or she remembers!
Next week will be busy as we shift away from graphs and data collection in Math and begin studying how to use grids and coordinate points. This will tie in well with our unit’s look at maps and navigation.
Kacey Buckley
P5 Class
The P5 children are enjoying their inquiry into the different purposes of the human voice. We are reading a great book for our daily read aloud time – “Out of my mind” by Sharon Draper – about a girl with cerebral palsy who cannot speak. The children have lots of ideas of things they would like to do during this unit. One thing they are enthusiastic about is interviewing a singer. If you know anyone who sings and would be happy to visit P5 please let me know. This unit is a collaborative effort with Mr. Samuel in the music department. The children have explored how the human voice is produced and will soon move onto researching different vocal performances from around the world. Our writing focus has been persuasive writing – your children will be bringing some letters home for you soon. One use of our voice is entertainment and next week the children will start reading poetry. They are invited to bring a favourite poem to class to share with their classmates. This can be in English or in a different home language. In maths we have been revisiting multiplication and will move onto division. We will also build on our calculating area skills and start calculating volume.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
This week we have continued our energy unit by researching sources of energy eg nuclear and hydroelectric. The children are preparing to present to each other.
As part of this unit, on Friday, we visited Tanzania Plantation Company. Madame Pearl and Ms Linda taught the children the key words in French and Kiswahili respectively. It was very interesting to see the sugar cane growing/ harvest cycle. Next, we visited the factory to see how the sugar is extracted and particularly how the bagasse (sugar cane waste product) is burnt to produce electricity. Enough electricity is produced to run the factory and supply the whole TPC estate with enough left to sell to the grid. Impressive and very interesting!
