Moshi Campus News – 9 March 2014

Our Primary swimming gala takes place this Wednesday, 12th March starting at 9am. All are welcome.

Congratulations to the many Moshi students who performed at the International Fair in Arusha yesterday. They did us proud!

During Bookweek on 17-21 March we would like to invite parents to be mystery readers across primary. Bring a book to read to a class for 10 minutes; the children will be very excited to see who will appear through the door each day at 12.50pm.
If you are interested in being a mystery reader please email with the day you can do and which class you would like to read to P1-P6. We will do the same with EC but at 11.20 am.

Diploma students who are planning to apply to universities in the UK and who are not EU citizens will be required to pass a recognised English language test. The recommended UK test is IELTS (International English Language Testing System). This test will be conducted in school in Moshi by the British Council on 10th May and the fee for the test is TSh 365,000/-. We recommend all students intending to apply to the UK to take this test in May. Registrations will be conducted this week – please confirm with Keiron White on before Friday, 14th March if you wish your son/daughter to be registered.

Students who do not wish to take IELTS can take the alternative TOEFL iBT test in Dar es Salaam. TOEFL iBT is not available in Moshi.

Last semester the PA invited proposals from teachers for the use of TSh 1m/- that had been raised through various fund-raising events. The decision was made to spend this sum on play equipment for the primary boarding house and quotes are now being obtained for some suitable equipment.
In addition the PA approved $700 out of the funds raised for improving Karibu Hall, for the purchase of Radio microphones for use in Karibu Hall drama productions.
Many thanks to all parents and the PA Committee for contributing to this fund-raising.

Parents of day students are reminded that they must purchase a meal ticket in advance if their child wishes to eat in the dining hall. Meal tickets are available from Reception, and cost TSh 5000/- for lunch or supper, TSh 2500/- for breakfast. Parents are also welcome to eat in the dining hall but should also purchase meal tickets in advance. Those without tickets will be asked to sign a book confirming acceptance of any charges.

The ISM Senior Boys and Shiri School clashed again on Wednesday, in a game that started with a short downpour that introduced an unexpected variable into the game: Tanzanian mud. Both teams put in a superb effort and got filthy in the process while clearly enjoying the different conditions. ISM scored two goals quite early in the game: a cross from Jasper right in front of the goal was knocked in by Francis within only 5 minutes of the start of the game. Shortly afterwards ISM regained possession within our own half and Leo took advantage of Shiri being too far forward to make an excellent long pass forwards through their defence. Jasper used his speed to run through, heading to the right while being followed by a defender. However the defender was too slow for Jasper, who shot it straight into the top left of the goal… the goalkeeper had no chance.
ISM maintained the lead for some time until Shiri were able to score due to some unfortunate defending mistakes, but in the second half, following a foul, Farhan took a free kick and scored our third goal with a low shot into the bottom left corner. Shiri then embarked on a more aggressive style of play and started pushing into ISM’s half much more, and having more shots at the goal. At one point, one of the Shiri boys his an excellent shot into the top left corner, but Nikhil impressed us all by deflecting it over the bar: his save of the match. Eventually their pressure resulted in a hard shot that slipped through Nikhil’s fingers, giving Shiri their second goal. Not long afterwards Jasper scored our fourth and final goal in a similar way to his previous one, by getting ahead of the defense and smashing it into a corner. This goal attracted some controversy over poor linesmanship, and it is quite possible he was actually offside. Nevertheless, it was a great finish and an impressive goal.
The boys put on a great performance and enjoyed playing in the mud. Shiri are great opposition for us and put on a good fight. We hope to meet them again soon! Our Man of the Match award goes to Jasper, not only because he scored twice, but because he never tired, ran back to help defend and relentlessly tackled the opposition.

This quarter, M4 have been working on food and on the importance of healthy eating. They have revised vocabulary and learnt new grammatical structures to express their ideas on various topics such as vegetarianism, fast-food, or healthy eating habits. They have also learnt vocabulary on how to order food at a restaurant and have been practising the language through role play situations.

Our end of quarter is approaching the students are very busy with final assessments. D2 students are working very hard to ensure they have consolidated their understanding of all their subjects before they got into the revision period in the forthcoming break.
M4/M5 students are preparing for their Assessment week; these are assessments under exam conditions and revision will be required for these serious tests. Please support your child by ensuring that in the next two weeks they are taking some time to revise and prepare for the assessment week which is from Friday 21 March to Thursday 27 March.
On Thursday 27 March we will issue the full reports for D2 and interim reports for M1-D1. If you would like a soft copy please email .
On Friday 28 March we will have our celebration assembly at 09.15 followed by Parent-Teacher Consultations at 10.35-12.00. We look forward to seeing our parents there as this is an opportunity to meet the teachers and discuss your child’s progress. Please note that Mr Holt will not be attending these consultations as he leaves early to accompany our students on their ski trip. If you have any burning issues regarding your child’s Chemistry progress please see the MYP/DP Coordinator.
Primary Student Led conferences will take place on Thursday 27 March, all day, we will be sending a letter home next week to confirm the times for your visit. If you are a parent of a boarder and won’t arrive until Friday, please email the teacher and we will try to accommodate your child’s student-led conference around that.

During the week of May 5-9, 2014 our M5 students are required to participate in a work experience study programme. They participate in this program as part of their Life Skills course. The goals of the program are:

• To take risks in a new and challenging environment
• To interact professionally with adults
• To experience a professional work environment from the perspective of an employee

Parents of M5 students will have received a letter from the MYP Coordinator, Ms Farrell, with more details.

Many parents were unable to attend the PA Annual Genera Meeting last November at which the Director, Bob Horton, summarised the school’s proress over the previous year. His presentation is available to view from the school website at www.uwcea.org/wp-content/docs/archive_documents/pa-agm-1311.pdf.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing away of John Lucas who died this afternoon in a vehicle accident. John Lucas has worked for the school for seven years and is known to our students for his management of the PE store and signing-out of equipment to students. He leaves a wife and four children.

In our bi-monthly DP meeting this week, faculty members collaborated in their analysis of how the aims in each of the subject overlap or not. The useful exercise emerged from the recent publication of the new edition of the IB Programme Standards and Practices guide (www.ibo.org/become/resources/wp-content/docs/archive_documents/Programmestandardsandpractices.pdf) that heavily emphasizes the importance of collaboration among DP teachers. An analysis of D1 ‘students of concern’ served as the second agenda item in that meeting and the DPC will follow-up with the particular D1 students/parents.
Recent conversations with and observations of DP students reveal that having easy access to the internet, movies on their laptops and digital music can be a significant distraction that hampers focused concentration on DP school work. Given that the primary reason parents send DP students to ISM is for an outstanding education, we recommend parents collaborate with us in encouraging your adolescent to be self-disciplined in their usage of technology. This does not in any way serve to diminish the advantages we see in DP students having their own laptop. However, many DP students abuse this privilege and given that they are young adults it is part of their own time management. But, your role in addressing this challenge for today’s youth (albeit from afar) is indisputably critical.
D2 students continue their weekly graduation meeting and have recently decided on the class song that will be sung in the ceremony as well as the entrance and the exit songs for this big event.
The ability to write effectively remains a key element of the IB DP assessment process in all classes. For instance, DP Music students conduct an in-depth written musical investigation comparing music styles in two regions of the world. DP Math Standard Level students produce a written math exploration. DP Environmental Systems and Societies test questions require well-constructed and detailed answers. DP History students do analytical essay writing on a regular basis as was the case this week with the D1 SL students’ Algerian Independence Struggle test and next week’s D2 HL test on the South Africa depth study. Our current ISM DP students will undoubtedly be tomorrow’s leaders and their future jobs will certainly require effective writing skills. As parents can you carefully examine and collaborate in mentoring your child with their nascent skills as communicators of written English? Given how much they are writing as ISM DP students, all you have to do is ask to examine recent tests/coursework.
We were disappointed to observe how many DP students were given permission by parents to leave early or return late during our recent long weekend. We cannot overstate how detrimental that is to your child’s education. Please avoid this in future.
The Tanzanian National Exam form four results were recently released. ISM Scholarship applications (for the two year DP scholarship) have been arriving in multitudes. Later this month we will invite shortlisted candidates to campus for a series of practical exercises and interviews as part of our selection of the two who will be in the class of 2016. As in the past we expect to select the very top in the country. It would be ideal if we could fund one or two more of these merit-based scholarships for Tanzania’s finest students but we need more benefactors. Do you know someone who might donate USD 50,000 to cover the two-year DP education for a deserving Tanzanian student?
Some of our graduates pursue higher education in the USA where the SATs & ACTs compete in the pre-university standardized test market. There was a major announcement this week regarding regarding changes in the SATs – www.uwcea.org/dip10.
The importance of encouraging your adolescent son/daughter to develop healthy habits is a centerpiece of Sean Covey and his excellent book 7 Habits of Effective Teens – www.seancovey.com/teens.html which is summarized at: www.uwcea.org/dip11.
As usual feel free to email or call with any questions/concerns. Sincerely, Rick Fitzpatrick Diploma Programme Coordinator

Unit of Inquiry With only three weeks left before we finish this unit of inquiry we are starting to think about the summative assessment. Students will choose a medium to show their favourite life cycle. They can make a book, poster or painting to show the sequence of stages in a life cycle. They will present their work to the class and to parents at the two-way conference on March 27th. By presenting research findings they will communicate what they have learned. Younger students can put pictures in sequential order to show a life cycle.
Portfolios This will be another focus as we prepare for the conferences. The students have to choose two pieces of work from the last quarter to put into their portfolios as well as look at each piece of work so that they can talk about what they have done over the year.
Literacy We will read the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ by Hans Christian Andersen to help us inquire into another life cycle. EC2 children will work on CVC words containing the short i sound. EC1 children will play a sound lotto game. New students will be introduced to impy ink making the short i sound.
Numeracy Last week we sorted 3D shapes. This week we will look for 3D shapes in our environment. Please look for details coming home of an activity you can do with your child. This week I want to spend time on number assessments to update pieces of work in the portfolio.
Art

• Life cycles for summative assessment
• Collages using natural materials
• Printing with 3D shapes

Primary Interhouse Swimming Gala – Wednesday 12th March All primary children will participate in a swimming gala on Wednesday 12th March. It will start at 9am. The EC, P1 and 2 will swim first. Then there will be a break and lanes will be put in the pool for the older primary children to swim. Parents and carers are very welcome.
Book Week On Monday 17th March there will be a ‘dress up as your favourite book character’ day. We will have a special assembly that marks the beginning of book week. Please begin to think about the costume your child will wear that day.
Portfolios On Thursday 27th March we have our portfolio conferences. Your child will share their portfolio with you. More details will follow soon.
Unit of Inquiry: Going Going…Gone Endangered Animals Theme – How we share the planet Central Idea – Many species of animals are endangered and some are already extinct. Lines of Inquiry: 1. The basic needs of animals. 2. Factors leading to endangerment of species. 3. Humans responsibility to share the planet. This week we will create some fact sheets about endangered animals. We will consider the questions: What is it like? Where does it live? Why is it endangered? What can be done to help?
Language focus for the week Write a recount of the weekend. Children will be encouraged to use the language of time. (First, Next, Then, After that, The next day…) Sentence and word level work will also focus on descriptive language. Handwriting: Patterns, own name, numerals and One Armed Robot Letters (bhkpmnr) Phonics – Group 1: Continue long vowel sound, ay as in play Group 2: au , aw, ore, oor, or
Maths focus for the week Mental skills will focus on doubles of numbers and counting on and back from any number. Quick recall of addition facts of 7,8,9 and 10. All children will learn about addition and subtraction. P1s will explore ways of making 8 and 9. They will solve addition and subtraction problems. They will solve missing number sentences, eg, 6+?=9. P2s will learn about linking addition and subtraction. They will continue to work on multiplication. They will record number sentences using x and =. The focus is the 2 and 5 times tables.
Art We will create camouflage pictures.
What to bring to school: Every day: A hat for playtime, a healthy snack, water bottle and reading folder. Timetable: Monday New reading books and homework packets including spelling lists will be issued. PE (wear your house T shirt and shorts for gymnastics) Tuesday Swimming (swimming costume, towel, flip flops/crocs, swim aids such as floaters if necessary. Goggles and sun cream are optional.) Wednesday Primary Swimming Gala – 9am start. Thursday Library (Bring library books in your special library bag to return and then choose new ones) New class reading books will be issued. Friday Spelling Test

Having jumped into Geography with our new unit, it is hard to believe that we only wrapped up with Simple Machines last Monday. Thanks to everyone who made it to the Assembly – all of the students were proud and relieved after the performance!
The Primary Swim Gala will be held Wednesday morning. Students practised for their races last week and everyone is very excited. Please be sure to send swim suits and towels and feel free to come cheer on the swimmers.
We will be working on map skills this week. Encourage your children to look at any maps you can find at home this week or online. They should be able to point out all of the continents independently. We will zoom in this week to focus on Tanzania. Our focus for the unit will be on Tanzania’s unique cultural, linguistic, and geographical traits.
Don’t forget about the school assembly next week on March 17th for Book Week. We discussed ideas for book character costumes and students hoped that we would be a class with every child in costume! And please, no more jokes about me dressing like one of Mr. Popper’s Penguins- the staff has already come up with plenty of costume ideas to go with my shape!
MATHS – P2 made a terrific start with regrouping in double digit addition. We will practise a few more strategies (expanding and branching) this week to make the process clear. P3 will be practising regrouping in addition as well.
LANGUAGES – We will discuss Where the Wild Things Are and reflect on how we can relate to Max, the main character. We will work on map reading skills and using an atlas. The spelling chunk for the week is -ight. We will also review other Long I phonic patterns.
Monday: Library, please bring your books and bag. Homework sent home. Wednesday: Primary Swim Gala – bring your suit and a towel. Thursday: Swimming, bring your suit and a towel. Reading books swapped out, bring your Reading Log as well. Friday: Spelling test and return completed homework.

Congratulations to Theo, Emily and Thompson who have been chosen to represent the school at the St. Constantine’s Inter-Schools gala on Saturday 15 March. The number of events for the gala have been restricted this year and as age groups cover two years, i.e. our U/9s and U/10s will swim as one age group, it has been more difficult to make the cut.
Further congratulations must go to the P3/4 class who won the prize (a chocolate cake) for having the most participants in the Kilimanjaro Marathon Event. We look forward to enjoying this tasty treat on Monday.
Our big event for the week will be the Primary Inter-House Swimming Gala which will take place on Wednesday morning starting at 9.00am with the EC and P1/2 events which will be mostly on the width. After this, the other classes will have their events which will involve swimming lengths. There will be serious and fun events and every student in Primary will have the opportunity to participate. Parents are very welcome to attend and we are looking forward to a great sporting event.
This week I have included some photos of the students making their batiks during art. They worked really hard designing and creating these art works and have had lots of fun in the process. I hope to have them on display in the classroom shortly, so please feel free to pop in and view them.
This is what our learning in class will look like this week: UOI Unit 5 – How we organise ourselves – “People Helping People”. Central Idea: People around the world are engaged in helping others in need. Lines of Inquiry: Identifying people in need         The motivation to help others         Empowering people to help themselves         Structure and function of humanitarian organisations We will unpack the central idea and begin to look at who the people in need are and how we identify/recognise them.
Maths – Miss Jann’s Group – Assessment on money. Measurement – measuring accurately, converting mm, cm, m and km, problems involving length, height and distance. Miss Debbie’s Group – Measurement – estimating metres and centimetres, measuring length and comparing length. Converting units of measurement.
Language – Letter writing. Writing a letters to invite guest speakers to our class for our Unit of Inquiry. Reading comprehension. Grammar – Homographs, homonyms and homophones. Spelling – Group 1: words ending in -ture e.g nature, creature Group 2: Magic -en and -est e.g. broken, latest Group 3: consonant digraphs at the ends of words -sh, ch, th e.g. fish, lunch, with
Reminders Our ice cream sundae times table challenge Please encourage and assist your child to learn their table for the week, so that they can make the most delicious sundae possible at the end of this term.
Book Week 17 – 21 March. The book character assembly will be held on Monday 17 March. We would like everyone to come dressed as a book character, so please start thinking and planning for this event. We have been working on our “book door” and this will soon be up for all to see and admire.
Every day: School T-shirts or polo shirts, zip bags (reading book, reading log, spelling book all need to come to school every day), a healthy snack for break time. Monday: Homework handed out. There seems to be an increasing number of students who are not completing their homework. Please encourage your child to do a little homework every day, so that it is not all left till the last minute. Reading homework is also very important. Please check your child’s bag for their reading log in which the reading homework is recorded. We usually try to have reading on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Reading logs should be signed as an indication that reading homework has been completed. If there isn’t a new book in the bag, it is fine to practice re-reading the old one, as this is how fluency is gained. Wednesday: Primary Inter-House Swimming Gala. Wear house t-shirts and bring swimming costumes, an extra towel, goggles (if you wear them), a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle. Thursday: Library. Please remember library bags and any books that are due back for return/renewal. Times tables test – 9x Friday: Homework due in. Spelling test. P.E.- swimming
Looking forward to a great week together. Miss Jann

Last week we finally began more meaningful research into our respective units and worked on some very hands on and fun Maths creating 3d shapes from nets, examining their properties and then guessing the shape from descriptions of those properties.
UOI – P5 Unit 5 – ‘Law and Order’ Central Idea: Different communities and groups establish different rules by which they operate The children will, in groups, begin separate investigations into how law and order was applied in different societies throughout history.
P6 Exhibition Unit – ‘Shaping positive change’ Central Idea: A rapidly changing planet requires modern approaches, thinking and action The children will seek to complete their research and begin to pinpoint individuals that they can interview. In addition they should be compiling survey questions to direct at groups of individuals. They should be encouraged to carry out research at home or in their spare time.
Reading and Writing For P6 Language lessons will be consumed by work on the exhibition now which will involve much reading, note taking and writing up. P5 will be researching, note taking and re-writing their notes on laws and punishments in different societies.
Maths Last week we categorized and described properties of 3d shapes. Next week we will begin to explore the perimeters, area and volume of different shapes and places around the school.
P.E. – is only on Thursday as Wednesday will see the swimming gala. Thursday will once again be swimming.
Library – will be on Monday morning. Please remind your child to return any finished books.

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