Moshi Campus News – 28 Jan 2017

Swimmers in Dar, Basketball and Football teams in Moshi, that is our secondary weekend. Then on into Monday when the M2 students head to Pangani. Looking back to last week, our D2 students have finished the Mock Exams and the results should come out soon. As well the M5 students are wrapping up the written aspects of the Personal Project with the Presentation on February 14th.
Please remember, Book Week will kick off on February 6th with a book based spirit day and on Friday there is a swimming event on hosted here. The following week, our first OP trip of the semester to Mandara Hut is on February 11th.
Bob Cofer, Head of Secondary

I want to remind parents that they can always view details of their child’s unit of inquiry by looking at the unit poster board outside Room 16. There is one poster for each class/unit. The posters are renewed with each new set of inquiries to help keep you informed with your child’s learning.
This week I congratulated the P4/5 students on being both confident and responsible students on their camp to Marangu. The teachers were all very impressed with them – including with how well they interviewed members of the public. What a good group of inquirers! The children will now reflect on their findings and continue to make connections as they proceed with the rest of this unit about tourism.

Next week the P6 students will go on their PYP Exhibition Retreat where they will spend two days brainstorming and collaborating with the P6 children from the Arusha Campus. As you know, the Exhibition is the culminating work which the P6s carry out towards the end of their time in the PYP. The students are feeling both excited and anxious as they begin their individual Exhibition journeys which will continue until early May. We wish them all the very best of luck.
ADVANCED NOTICE: ISM Book Week takes place in one week’s time. This means on Monday 6th February there will be a Spirit Day when children can dress up as their favourite book character. Start planning your costumes. There will also be a Book Week Assembly in K-hall on that day at 7.35am. Parents are welcome to attend. If any parents will to be a Surprise Reader that week please let me know. We would love to have some volunteer parents come into classes and read stories aloud.
ADVANCED NOTICE: In a few weeks time the P4, P5 and P6 children will sit their ISA tests. The data we collect will help inform us about the maths, reading and writing ability of the children. The primary teachers are preparing the children in class and so there is no need for parents to do any extra work with them. The data is for our own records only and will be shared with parents. Kate Schermbrucker, (Head of Primary)

D2 Mock examinations ended on Thursday 16th January, and the boarders were quite happy to go back to the normal routine. We planned various activities for boarders this weekend, including the usual town trip on Friday afternoon. This was followed by Basketball and a movie in the social centre in the evening. Primary boarders had a swimming session in the afternoon.
Saturday started on a different note. In line with the Presidential directive to clean the environment every last Saturday of the month, our Diploma girls were involved in a clean-up exercise on Lema road. The school also hosted the NTAA Basketball and football tournaments that kept the boarders busy and entertained the whole of Saturday. This was followed by a disco in the evening for the boarders.
Sunday saw many boarders visit their respective areas of worship. After church, primary boarders had an Art/Craft session, while he older boarders had a football in the top pitch. A hash was planned for late afternoon on Sunday.
We are increasingly concerned about healthy living, and are consciously encouraging our boarders to have healthy living through diet and physical activity. This will reflect in the menus in the dining hall, and also other advices from the food council. Rosemary Bango, (Head of Boarding)

As you will know, the President has directed all communities to keep the public areas of their environment clean by undertaking cleaning duties on the last Saturday of each month. Our boarders have responded to this and a group of Kijana girls worked to clear litter from Lema Road early this morning. Congratulations to all for their efforts.

The M2 class is “off to the coast” next week from Monday, Jan 30th to Thursday, Feb 2nd. They will be conducting a transdisciplinary trip on the coast, camping at the school’s Kiraha house in Pangani. The group will be joined by their Arusha counterparts for a fun filled study incorporating Math and Integrated Humanities skills learned last semester. By the look of things, the group is all set and ready to go.

Keiron White, Bob Cofer and Rosemary Bango will be holding a presentation in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, 11th February at 10am at the Sea Cliff Hotel. This presentation is aimed at providing information on the school for prospective new families considering enrolling their children. If you know of any families in Dar who would like to learn more about the school, please invite them to this presentation. We will also be able to arrange individual parent meetings on request.

Every year, a number of our students take the online ISA tests set by ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research). These tests, designed for international school students, help us to evaluate our own curriculum and teaching and also help you to determine your child’s level when compared with international standards. After the tests, each parent will receive a detailed report of their child’s performance. However it is important to remember that a child’s academic level is measured in many different ways and these test scores only provide one possible assessment and these must interpreted along side all the other assessments that take place regularly in your child’s classes.
Students in P4, P5, P6, M1 and M3 will take tests in Mathematics, Reading and Writing and, in addition, M3 students will take a Science test.
These tests are scheduled between 13th and 24th February.
If you would like to read more about ISA tests, please see https://www.acer.edu.au/isa.
Parents are requested to read the ISA Privacy Information available at www.uwcea.org/wp-content/docs/archive_documents/isa_privacy.pdf

Please start bringing in unwanted books next week to hand into form tutors/class teachers. Children will be given a ticket for every book they bring in. We will keep the tickets safe in class and in book week take the children to swap their tickets for new books. Please only send in books that are in good condition. No used colouring books or comics please. Books accepted in any language and for every age of reader from babies to adults. Parents are very welcome to attend the book swap. Times to be announced next week.

There is a planned M1 academic trip to Lake Manyara coming next month, February, from the 22nd – 24th. This trip plays a big role in consolidating the knowledge they have acquired in class in Design, Art and Integrated Humanities. The learners get an opportunity to see different tools and materials used by early man in the ideal setting on the shadow of the Great Rift Valley. They also get to learn about the early man’s way of life as well as some economic activities.
Meanwhile the M2 class is in Pangani (see above).
The M3 class has embarked on the unit on Industrial Revolution and is currently conducting a research on key Inventors of that era; the inquiry question being “How can technological change influence societal change?”
The M4 class this semester is studying History units under Integrated Humanities with Mr. Kiema, whilst the M5 class is studying Geography units with Ms. Ndong’; switching from geography and history topics taught last semester, respectively.
In Economics, the D2 class will submit their Commentary 3 on Mon 30th Jan the last piece of Internal Assessment. They will revise mock papers and then use the remaining time to cover the last unit on Development. The D1 class has written a practice commentary and is preparing to write the first commentary, a part of Internal Assessment. The SL class have completed section 1 on Microeconomics. The HL students are covering the Theory of the firm. Later this Quarter all will start on Macroeconomics.
The D2 Geography students are winding up the course units this quarter and will also be working on completing the remaining part of paper 2 on “The Geography of food and health” as well as last sections of paper 3 on political outcomes. D1 students on the other hand will focus on wealth and disparities as well as economic and environmental exchanges in globalization which form part of Paper 1 and 3 respectively.
This is a summary of the internationalism-focused current curriculum topics in Mr Fitzpatrick’s classes: D1 History SL – Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries with this excellent text – www.amazon.com/Cold-War-Tensions-Rivalries-History/dp/0198310218 D1 History HL – South Africa under apartheid and the crucial election of 1948 (www.apartheidmuseum.org/resources) D2 History SL/HL – Tanganyika independence struggle with a focus on the pivotally important Meru Lands Case (https://bit.ly/1BwsSUs). D1 Global Politics – ‘Peace and Conflict’ unit with a focus on ‘What have been the successes and failures of UN peacekeeping missions? – www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/bosnia/11729436/Srebrenica-20-years-on-What-have-been-the-successes-and-failures-of-UN-peacekeeping-missions.html Nearly all of the classes are largely assessed based on either source analysis (Paper 1) or analytical essay questions (Paper 2) and hence, on-going unit tests largely take this same format though in-class debates and Harkness format discussions are frequent. Many subscribe to the Washington DC USA think-tank Council on Foreign Relations Daily News Brief (www.cfr.org/about/newsletters/latest_daily_news_brief.html).

Last semester the M3 science class constructed working models of hydraulic machines and to follow this up, the class visited Kilimanjaro International Airport on Wednesday to see real hydraulic machinery in action. Our visit started with a talk about health and safety from Mr Vishnu Nair, and he illustrated the importance of health and safety by explaining that the infamous Concorde aeroplane crash was caused by one small shard of metal on the runway. After being issued with safety equipment, as can be seen in the photos, we were shown round by the chief engineer, Mr Ravi Shanker, who demonstrated some of the giant hydraulics in action while explaining how they worked. We finished our tour with a drive to the runway area. The students asked a lot of questions and the visit was a great start to preparing for the M3 Science Fair which will be on the 14th of March this year because each student must connect their science project to a real world application.
The class and I would like to thank the staff at KIA and particularly Hazem Al Khodari for arranging the visit, and Vishnu Nair, Ravi Shanker and Mr Melkior for showing us round the site. Zoe McIvor

It is hard to believe that we have already completed 2 weeks of the third Quarter of this Academic Year at ISM Moshi Campus, and as ever, the MYP and DP students have been very busy getting back into producing works of art after their long Christmas break.
The M1 students are currently working on a Unit of Work which investigates portrait drawing, and they have shown great dedication and effort with their own portrait drawings. M1 will soon move on to deconstructing their portrait and manipulating its image using computer software, to create a Picasso- style Cubist portrait. Within this work they will be exploring the themes of abstract art and emotions through the use of colour and Cubism.
M2 students have recently completed a Unit of Work based on mythical creatures, in which they also explored ways to depict and communicate stories, a concept which arose from the study of Cave Art last Quarter. M2 students are also currently studying portraiture, this time from a mathematical point of view. They have been developing sophisticated drawing skills, through the study of the proportion and construction of the human face.
M3 this Quarter will first continue with their cardboard relief/art made from recycled materials Unit of Work which was inspired by the relief artwork of Stein Drabik. Pupils have been working on their own relief design, using waste cardboard box as their media, in both sheet and paper-mache form. It is hoped that each of the M3 student’s finished designs can be displayed together to form one large collaborative relief panel. We are hoping to have an exciting programme organized for the up-and-coming M3 collaborative Arts Trip during early March of this year. More information will be passed on to M3 students as and when the trip arrangements have been finalised.
M4 have been working on a Unit of Work based on the study of artists who use birds as their inspiration and the concept of using waste materials to make art. So far during this unit, they have learnt some new surface-pattern designing techniques, creating their own collaged design using red and white and have learnt the skills of designing and printing linocut designs. Now M4 are working towards a 3-dimensional bird design using various different paper-mache modeling techniques and good-old waste cardboard as their main modeling medium! It is hoped that by the end of this Unit of Work Mr. Horne’s Art room will be populated by some impressive flying and perching bird models made by M4 pupils! He has been very impressed with the work produced by members of his M4 Visual Arts Class so far.
M5 this Quarter will continue with their IB Visual Arts ePortfolio assessment, based on the research, study and production of artwork that creates awareness, promotes change, asks questions and/or records the past or present, or predicts the future. M5 students are working towards the making stage in this practical assessment, where they are expected to produce a final artwork based around this research question. Mr. Horne wishes his M5 students the very best of luck with their ePortfolio assessment!
D1 are now approaching the completion of their 3-dimensional/paper-mache/Identity based unit of work, and will soon be turning their attentions to the completion of their second unit of work based upon natural forms/surface pattern and a surface-pattern inspired final artwork. D1 students have been introduced to several different media which could be used in the production of a surface-pattern inspired final artwork, including air-drying clay, weaving, lino printing and using lots of mark-making techniques on different types of paper. Mr. Horne has been really encouraged by the standard of artwork produced by his D1 students so far, and looks forward to seeing the final artworks for both units of work.
D2 have reached a crucial time in their Visual Arts Course, where they now have until mid-March to complete all of their Visual Arts coursework, in preparation for their final exhibition and end-of-course assessment. The next few weeks are going to be extremely busy for all D2 Art students as they work flat-out to finish all of their artwork, and start to give some serious thought to the format of their final exhibition, which we are hoping to hold again at Kishari House. Mr. Horne would like to pass on his very best wishes to all of his D2 Visual Arts students for the successful completion of their Visual Arts Course and final exhibition.
It is going to be a busy third Quarter in the Visual Arts Department! Ian Horne

Our school will be making a collaborative visit to the American-British Academy Oman on 8th March 2017. This is a drama festival where students from different countries gather together to research, create and perform drama on a given theme in three days. The students get a chance to be mentored by theatre practitioners who work in the film industry as actors, directors and writers. The event is organized by International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA) and will take three days. (Read more about ISTA Festivals on this link www.ista.co.uk/whats-on/festival/muscat-middle-school-festival). ISM will be sending 12 students from both Moshi and Arusha campuses. The students are drawn from M1-M3. The event will be chaperoned by Mr Juma (Moshi campus drama teacher) and Ms Amy (Arusha campus English teacher). Students will leave the school on 7th and are expected back on 12th March 2017. We are grateful to the parents who have made this event successful.

HOME OF THE LEOPARDS Now that we have finished our second week, I have noticed that Secondary School students have started slowly in sports. Maybe it is returning to school after a long break, and getting back into their routines. Or could it be the demand of academics, as students are already stating they are “too busy” to be involved. Finally, could this problem be something much deeper. From my experience, I believe these three issues are interrelated, and can be easily fixed.
Schools and sports programs need to be built on “culture”, and “culture” is what is expected of students and what is not? This culture is demonstrated from top down. From me to the coaches, to the students. This culture or expectations are “non-negotiable” meaning there is no excuse. In regards to sports culture at ISM, what is expected of the program and students are the following: students should be provided opportunities to participate (please note Season Two provides 17 different activities/sports), students should show commitment throughout the season, and finally demonstrate sportsmanship. All three of these expectations are centered through the IB Learner Profile. What is not acceptable is students making excuses, being lazy and not making an effort to be involved.
The sports program is like a “Butler” it opens doors to opportunities.
Please find below two links to articles regarding this topic.

Busy is the new lazy: www.successfulworkplace.org/2013/04/16/busy-is-the-new-lazy-what-im-busy-really-means

How to avoid making excuses: www.coachingpositiveperformance.com/avoid-making-excuses Hopefully students will take the opportunity to read these articles and then take the necessary steps to enjoy what is a fantastic program.
Sporting News This coming Saturday January 28th ISM hosted the first round of NTAA games for the U15 Boys and Girls Football and the U19 Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments. Please click here for the Game Schedule: www.uwcea.org/sports1701
Below students and parents can find below three important links:

Season Two Practice Timetable: www.uwcea.org/sportspractice

U15 Football and U19 Basketball Game Schedule www.uwcea.org/sportschedule

NTAA Schedule of Events. www.uwcea.org/sportsmeeting
House Competition This coming Monday January 30th will start the ISM Indoor School Tournament. This tournament features four student teams and one teacher team. Games will be played during lunch, and all teams are ready to compete for the Championship Trophy. Please click here for the Tournament Schedule. We look forward to a great tournament.
Activities As always the ISM Sports Department wants to advertise three excellent afterschool activities, so please find below information regarding swimming, tennis and horseback riding.
Swimming lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced with Coach Sabini. Those students and parents who are interested in arranging lessons are kindly requested to contact Coach Sabini in person.
Tennis Lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced players with Coach Charles. Those students and parents who are interested in arranging lessons are kindly requested to contact him at 0757606766.
Horse riding is also available and those interested need to contact Mr Priva at 0758053280 for more information regarding times, prices and requirements.
As the year progresses please keep up with all the info, news, and sports reports by reading the Moshi Campus News.
Go Leopards Scott Hibbard, (Head of Sport and Physical Education)

Several of our swimmers are traveling to Dar this weekend for the annual Tallis Invitational Swim Championships. The competition features all of the major teams and school clubs from around Tanzania. Hosted at IST Primary, it will likely see many of our swimmers swim best times as they have been preparing hard in workout and are ready to swim fast.
Swimmers are reminded that their commitment to workouts should remain unchanged, unless discussed with Coach Ryan. Fatigue from other sports is normal and does not need to disrupt your training. Recovery can still occur after a hard training cycle, when practising other sports, and getting your school work done if you balance effectively. Keep in mind what your competitors are doing whom you need to swim against.
NTAA Swimming Championships – Moshi Pool – Friday 3 February 2017 Notices went out to parents this week for all primary and secondary swimmers currently practising in any group, aged 6-18 who can complete 25m (6-7) or 50, 100m (8-18) using correct swimming technique. Please contact Coach Ryan for a notice if your swimmer did not get one. This is our chance to host, and we will need parents to volunteer. Please complete the forms and return them to Coach Ryan.
Upcoming Dates

Fri-Sat 27-28 Jan 2017 – Tallis Swim Meet – Dar

Fri 3 Feb 2017 – NTAA Champs – Moshi Pool

Fri 10 Feb 2017 – Kennedy House Swim Clinic – Primary Only – All Day

Tue 14 Feb – Mon 20 Feb 2017 – Zone 3 CANA Champs – Zimbabwe Coach Ryan and Sabini

ISM Moshi with sponsorship from AMEG Lodge (www.ameglodge.com) will host a 2-day tennis tournament for the ISM community on Saturday February 11th & Sunday February 12th.
All of the youth categories from under 6 – 19 will play on Saturday February 11th, while the adult tournament (single elimination framework) will be held on Sunday February 12th. The youth will be divided into the following categories: 1. Under 19 (born 1997 and later) boys and girls 2. Under 15 (born 2001 and later) boys and girls 3. Under 12 (born 2004 and later) boys and girls 4. Under 10 (born 2006 and later) boys and girls 5. Under 8 (born 2008 and later) boys and girls 6. Under 6 (born 2010 and later) boys and girls If interested, please sign up by Monday February 7th and the relevant Feb 11/12 tennis tournament registration forms will be available at the reception as of Monday Jan 30th at noon. Once completed, please return the registration form also to the ISM receptionist. For any questions, please email .

I am in M5 and we are required to complete a personal project that includes working on something we are passionate about during the course of 6 months. I have always been passionate about giving back to my community and hence I have decided to educate one child fully for a year. I have carried out several fundraising events and to tie it all up I am holding a raffle. One ticket costs 2000 and three tickets cost 5000. The winner will be announced at the next assembly and the prize that you can win is dinner for two on Valentine’s Day at the ShahTours Hotel. All the money collected from this raffle will be going towards paying for one under-privileged child’s education. To buy tickets come see Safiya M5 or email me at Safiya K (M5)

Update:

D2 mock exams finished on Thursday (see photo) and results will be shared with students. Thereafter, the DPC will send a summary of the D2 mocks to each parent.

The new D1 Research and Writing Wednesday hour-long course focused on the writing process and time management this Wednesday with handouts from https://cstw.osu.edu/writing-center/handouts/all-handouts.

DP teachers continue to use ManageBac to document unit plans, post homework assignments, list dates of upcoming assessments, and post grades. Parents of ISM DP students are encouraged to use this resource and carefully follow your son or daughter’s course of education. Feel free to ask questions of the DPC or of any of his/her DP subject teachers!
Upcoming events: D2 coursework assignments due this upcoming week include:

Monday January 30th – Economics Commentary #3 (Draft),

Tuesday January 31st: Math SL/HL Exploration (final) and ITGS Major Project (Final),

Thursday Feb 2nd – Swahili Ab Initio SL (Mock) Orals.
This 3rd academic quarter parent-teacher meeting will occur on Friday March 31st. PLEASE ensure that your son/daughter does not leave before 9:15am on that date. It is detrimental to their education to remove them early. The DP Handbook for the current M5 class (the incoming class for Aug 2017) will be published by Febuary 10th. M5 parents who will be on the ISM campus on Tues Feb 14th and who plan on enrolling their son/daughter in the ISM Diploma Programme will be invited to have face-to-face meetings on that day (DPC – ISM incoming D1 student – parent) to make course selections.
Weblinks:

On Get Up and Move. It May Make You Happier. www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/well/ move/get-up-and-move-it-may-make-you-happier.html

About IB DP curriculum – www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum

On Adolescent Stress and Depression – www.extension.umn.edu/youth/research/ youth-issues/adolescent-stress-and-depression

On Teen Sleep Requirements – https://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/ teen_sleep_cycles_affect_school_success_habits_that_help
Rick Fitzpatrick, (Diploma Coordinator):

Unit of Inquiry Central idea: Through exploring, observing and communicating we learn to make sense of the world around us, and its natural laws.
The children explored shiny materials in the dark room last week to test if they are a source of light. This week there will be another focus in the dark room. There were some ‘wonderings’ that need investigating. Thanks to Tiago the fire fighter for bringing in his uniform to help us think about reflectors and Michael for bringing in his torch to help us understand a little more about shadows. Janieck also took action last week by making a poster about all the lights he could think of. We have added more to our class list. The children will record their understanding of the various purposes of different lights in their ‘Little book of lights.’ This will be the writing focus for next week.
Literacy We are reading a variety of non-fiction and fiction books connected to our unit of inquiry. From browsing non-fiction books and looking at photographs of lights the children came up with many questions as well as showing us how much they already know about light and dark. The story focus this week will be ‘Owl babies’ by Martin Waddell. EC1 will explore the sounds p and q made by Peter Puppy and Quarrelsome Queen EC2 will read Raz Kids books on the new tablets (please don’t forget to read the online books at home) and work on some tricky sight words.
Numeracy EC1; counting objects, matching sets of objects to numerals, completing number puzzles and playing number games in groups EC2: focus on the number that comes ‘before’ a given number, adding and taking away 1 Measurement ; understanding the vocabulary of times of the day; morning, afternoon, night and day and o’clock times.
BOOK WEEK COMING SOON – 6th-10th February On the 6th February the children should come to school dressed as a favourite book character. Please let me know if you need some help with this as we have costumes we could lend you on the EC dress up rack!
BOOK SWAP Please start bringing in your unwanted books next week. The children will be given a ticket for every book they bring in. We will keep the tickets safe in class and in book week take the children to swap their tickets for new books.
NO SWIMMING NEXT FRIDAY, 3rd FEBRUARY Due to a swimming competition being held at the ISM pool, there will be no class lesson next Friday but the children will be able to observe some amazing swim races instead.

Congratulations to Annie-Matilda, Yann and Eli for receiving a Green Leaf at the Primary Assembly. I’ve nominated Annie-Matilda for being an inquirer and thinker; Yann for being open-minded and an inquirer; and Eli for being a thinker, inquirer and good communicator.
Our New Unit of Inquiry is: Where We Are In Time And Space Central Idea: Sources of historical evidence help us learn about the past. Lines of Inquiry and key concepts:

The ways individuals document their histories. FORM?

Reflecting on past experiences. REFLECTION

Documenting our own histories. PERSPECTIVE

Representing our identity. REFLECTION
This week the children have finished our Time Machine and now we can have interesting activities by going back and forward in time and sharing interesting stories from our past and future. The children watched a film about how people lived 70-80 years ago in England. It was fascinating to learn how children engaged themselves in games in those times, what sort of toys they have played with and how their rooms looked like.
    Thank you for sending in the photos! We are going to use them soon in our new project. Please send in some baby, toddler and early childhood photos if you haven’t done it so far.
English focus of the week: Blue and green groups High Frequency words: we, me, be and was New sounds: ‘igh’ and ‘oa’. The children practised ‘Quick Write’ game (dictation), I was so amazed how well they remembered the new sounds. Purple group read a fun story about a crocodile and answered some comprehension questions. They also learned some new sounds: ‘ou’ and ‘ie’.
Maths focus of the week. The students really surprised me with their inquiry into money this week. They came to such interesting reflections, e.g. “Before I didn’t know that there were different types of money in different countries, but now I do.” Thank you to all the parents who sent in different forms of currency from home. The children have been fascinated. In class we started to add simple money amounts together, e.g. $10 + $6, 3000 Tsh + 8000 Tsh. Next week we will continue our money investigations.
Important Event: Book Week (6-10th February) Activities:

6th February – dress up as your favourite book hero/ine, character.

Book swap: the children can bring 2-3 old books (this week) from home to change them to new ones.

Door display – we are going to decorate our door as a book cover. Don’t forget to come along and look at all the doors in Primary.
What to bring to school every day:

Indoor shoes – please remember to send the indoor shoes back as it can get very muddy after heavy rains.

A hat, a water bottle and a healthy snack. The rule is: No hat, no play, no fun.
The Week Ahead: Monday: Swimming – please bring: trunk/costume, towel, swimming cap (for long hair), flip flops (the concrete by the pool can get very hot), sun lotion, and a plastic bag for the wet kit. Homework goes home. Tuesday: Library Wednesday ‘Show and Tell’ for Group 1. Thursday: PE lesson – trainers please Friday: School ends at 12:35. Thank you for your co-operation! Have a great week ahead! Kind regards, Ms Andrea, P1/2 Teacher

Dear Parents, Well done! P2/3s for an excellent performance during Primary Gathering on Friday. The class has improved in their presentation and speaking skills in front of a large audience.
This coming week children are encouraged to bring in books that they have outgrown or are no longer reading. These books will be used as part of a book swap during book week (February 6-10). For every book, they donate they will receive a ticket and then they will be able to use this ticket to choose a new book.
Important notice: On Monday, the children will bring home a field trip letter. The trip will take place on the 9th February. Please return your child’s permissions slip as soon as possible. Thanks.
This Week in class: The children have been looking at the different ways in which you can represent fractions. We have looked at: fraction circles, fraction bars, fractions on a number line, fractions of a set and where and when we use fractions. We have had lots of interesting discussions regarding our unit. The children have researched into different food processes and looked carefully at the many stages. They have talked about drought and the impact it has on food. The children have many, I wonder? questions that they are considering. All the children now have experienced book club and they are becoming more independent readers. They have shown respect and consideration for others in their club when sharing thoughts and ideas about the different books. We have also spent time looking at verbs and the spelling patterns of them in the past tense. This came up through many of the children’s writing.
The Week Ahead in class: Unit of Inquiry This week we will be continuing with our new unit and looking at the following lines of inquiry: How we organize ourselves Central idea – Human made systems are carefully designed to achieve multiple purposes. Lines of inquiry – Where our food comes from – System involved in growing and processing food The children are now researching their own food of interest and looking into the process of making that food. They will be deciding on how to represent their finding; either a poster, book, or leaflet etc. If there are any parents who can help with this unit either sharing, field trip suggestion etc., please email:
Reading: During book club, this week the children have focused on their reading comprehension and working together as a reading team. Many of the groups have been focusing on inferring and using the information that they are reading. Many of the children are focusing on reading with expression. Using correct punctuation correctly to make their reading more enjoyable.
Writing: We will begin to focus on persuasive writing. The children will be using this writing technique to inform, share information and explain reasons. They will be giving their opinions throughout this writing process.
Math: The new focus this week will be on money. We will look at counting and subtracting money as another way to reinforce our number sense. The children will be continuing to look into fractions and the many ways we use fractions in the real world.
The Week Ahead: Monday: Home readers and homework go home. Field trip letter goes home. Tuesday: Library and Swimming Wednesday: P3 French Thursday: P3 French Friday: PE. Please return homework.
Useful websites: www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/QuickLinks.aspx?contentType=2
Have a great week Clare Hibbard P2/3

I am sure by now all the students have told stories of our fabulous visit to Marangu falls. The adults on the trip were very impressed by the student’s maturity and confidence on this excursion. This trip provided an unrivaled opportunity for the children to ask questions and inquire about the services the hotel offers. They also (thanks to Isaac) had an opportunity to ask the Chief Park Ranger questions as he elaborated on the interconnected nature of the tourism industry. Our guide was also eager to answer questions. One student even inquired into what motivated the employees to work at the hotel. He found out the employeeit was his “passion and dream to one day own his own hotel.” I would like to thank Owain, Zita and Isaac for helping make the trip possible.
This week coming up the students will embark on the skills which will provide them with the foundational skills to complete their summative assessment. In English we will be reading about how to start our own business and what that entails. We will be exploring how to write an effective business plan and proposal.
In Math we will be looking at the importance of number skills and organization in keeping our business on track. We will be looking at developing basic accounting skills and analyzing data. We will continue working on word problems related to the field of tourism.
We are looking to partner each business group with a parent/community volunteer in the capacity of a consultant/advisor for our upcoming business project. Ideally, someone who runs their own business and is accessible for short weekly briefings with one or more of group members, during or after school hours, would be perfect. If you can help in this area, we would be greatly appreciative.
For those who missed our assembly on Monday here is a link to the video of last to the presentation of the Great Raft Race: www.uwcea.org/p45boatrace. Enjoy. Julie Bowen, (P4/5 Class Teacher)

I am very pleased to be back at school with the P5 students. Many thanks to Mr. Evan, Ms. Lydia and Mr. Thadeus for keeping the routines going during my absence and ensuring the children made a productive start to Semester 2. We have had a lovely week. Amaya and Ms. Lydia celebrated their birthdays with us. The cereal boxes that the children designed with Mr. Marvin last semester are up in the breezeway. Please take the opportunity to come and see your child’s work – they look wonderful. I enjoyed meeting many of you for our Parent Teacher conferences on Thursday afternoon to discuss your child’s progress. If you were unable to keep your appointment and we have not yet corresponded by email please let me know a time that would suit you and we can reschedule. Monday and Thursday after school are my preferred days.
Maths – We have explored recording probability in words and as a fraction. For example you have a 3/6 chance of rolling a number greater than 3 on a die which is an even chance. Next week we will be working on problem solving and also the language of position (left, right, North, South.)
Language – We have focused on story writing and reading comprehension and will continue to work on these areas next week.
Unit of Inquiry – Our unit, “Understanding energy transformation allows us to utilize its power,” is now well underway. Last week Mr. Evans introduced the children to different forms of energy (potential, kinetic, heat, light, chemical, sound, electrical) and they explored wires, bulbs, buzzers and batteries to create simple circuits. This week we have been inquiring into energy transformation. The children have used a stomp rocket to see the transformation of potential energy into kinetic energy. There are some great photos up in the breezeway. They also used elastic bands to further explore energy transformation by making finger shooters. These practical activities were very enjoyable and next week we will explore how balloons can power “rockets” and will practice writing up a scientific investigation in a formal manner. Please keep sending in plastic lids – these will make very good wheels for when we design our own vehicles later in the unit. If you have an interest in this area and would like to come in to present to the children please let me know. You would be most welcome. Likewise, if you have any ideas as to good destinations for a field trip I would welcome any suggestions.
Keyboard Skills – Please encourage your child to practise touch typing. The IT suite is open in the afternoons for children who do not have access to a keyboard at home.
Book Week – Book week will begin on February 6th and will finish February 10th. If you would like to come into class as a “surprise reader” to share a favourite story we would love you to visit us. If you would like to read to the children but don’t have a suitable book at home please let me know and I will find one for you. Monday, February 6th will be a spirit day when the children should dress as a character from a book. Encourage your child to start getting ready now – homemade costumes are always fun, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a shop bought costume. Next week the children can start bringing in unwanted books to exchange for tickets that they can use at the book swap which will be held during book week.
Please note that on Friday, 3rd February, the swimming pool will not be in use due to a swimming tournament so P5 will not have swimming that day.
The Week Ahead: Our timetable remains the same as in Semester 1 Monday: Library and new homework packet is sent home Tuesday: Music, French and P.E. Wednesday: Swahili Thursday: French Friday: Music, Swahili, no Swimming due to pool closure. Return homework to school. Deborah Mills, (P5 Teacher)

The P6s did a very good job MCing for the P2/3 Gathering assembly. Well done to the all students! We have also started working on end of unit projects that will show a form of energy, how it works and students will be expected to share their understanding of transformation of energy from one form to the other.
The students have shown collaboration and good self-management skills as they work in small groups brainstorming resources they might need to use to build their model.
In the coming week, the Moshi P6 students are getting prepared for their Exhibition retreat where together with ISM Arusha students they will learn more about what the Exhibition is, play games that will instill the spirit of collaboration in all of them and have a Q&A session.
Unit of Inquiry – students are learning about how certain energy forms work and how they are used in the real world. They also learn about the different ways energy forms may change. Key vocabulary related to this week’s inquiry is transformation, potential, kinetic, stored, position, motion.
Math – Word problems related to the four operations. Students will review the vocabulary related to solving word problems and using the various operations.
Language Arts – students will record questions they may have regarding their Exhibition, record thoughts and ideas during the retreat and write reflections regularly in the course of the week. They will also be using the strategies; inference and perspective as we read the book, “The Boy who Harnessed the Wind”, by William KamKwamba.
Things to note for next week’s timetable: Monday – homework is given and is due on Friday. Tuesday – payment for retreat meals needs to have been finalized. Wednesday – Exhibition retreat Thursday – Exhibition retreat Friday – swim meet for those in the Swim team (no regular swimming for P6 on this day). Ms Cathy.

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