Moshi Campus News – 5 Feb 2017

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.

Primary
This week is ISM Book Week. On Monday the children can come to school dressed as their favourite book character. They will then parade into Karibu Hall for assembly, when they can show off their costumes to the whole community. Parents are welcome to attend. Please also speak to your child’s class teacher about being a Surprise Reader. We need some more parent volunteers to read aloud their favourite book to the class.



Secondary
Book Week will kicks off on Monday. Please remember that it is spirit day so dress as your favorite book character. While on campus, check out the book cover doors. As you will be able to see a lot of work is going into these. Thank you to everyone who has contributed and a special thank you to the P2/3 class that designed my door. Other items of the week include a reading competition in the secondary, DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) and guest readers in the primary.
BOOK SWAP – Tuesday February 7th On Tuesday there will be a whole school book swap in the breezeway. Primary children will be taken to the book swap by their class teachers and secondary students are invited to swap books at break time. Parents are invited to swap books at 11.15 (EC parents) and 12.45 until 1.15 (any other parents) Depending on how many books are left we may organise another book swapping day later on in the week. Please feel free to donate books until Tuesday morning.

We were delighted to host the P6 class and teachers from the Arusha Campus for part of the week. They were here to collaborate with our students for their PYP Exhibition Retreat. It was wonderful to see how the two classes quickly formed friendships and started to work as one team. They brainstormed ideas and researched issues and problems in our world today. They considered how they can make a difference. They are now feeling less anxious about the Exhibition process and are excited to get started in a few weeks’ time. Many thanks to Ms Cathy for organising such a worthwhile event.
You will not see me around school for the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately I have had to return to the UK for a short while. If you have a concern regarding your child, then please see the class teacher. If you need more assistance, then please contact Keiron White: Kate Schermbrucker, (Head of Primary)

On Tuesday, the P4 to M1 students will have a practice ISA test in preparation for the actual tests starting on the 13th. This week as well, the M1 will meet up with their counterparts in Arusha for a French based day on Wednesday.
Looking to next week we have the long weekend with no school on Friday the 17th and Monday the 20th followed by a visit from Memorial University on Tuesday the 21st. This has been a popular destination for our students so we are happy to have them on campus. The next day our M1 students will head off to Manyara for their interdisciplinary trip. Never a dull moment at ISM. Bob Cofer, Head of Secondary

ISM is now seeking applications from successful form four students to join our scholarship programme for D1 and D2 from August 2017. These scholarships offer full payment of all tuition (and boarding) fees and are very competitive every year. Applicants must be Tanzanian citizens who have completed form four in a national (NECTA) school and obtained the excellent score of 10 points or better on their form four exams. Applications close on 16th February. If you know of an able student in this position, please encourage him or her to apply. Full details and application forms are available from https://www.uwcea.org/scholar

Many of our own students in D2 now in their final year have already been extremely successful in obtaining admission and scholarship funding to some excellent universities. Particular congratulations to:

• Elias for Yale University with full-need scholarship
• Esuvat for Cornell University with full-need scholarship
• Blaise to George Washington University with full-need scholarship
• Lydia to Washington University in St Louis with full-need scholarship

Many others have now received all five of their conditional offers through UCAS in the UK, and Canadian admissions will come through very soon. We are expecting many other successes to add to this list.
Memorial Universty from Newfoundland, Canada will be visiting ISM on Tuesday, 21st February, to present to our students. Memorial is attractive to many families as their fees are only about US$15,000 per year. Wheaton College will also be on campus this Friday afternoon.

Various boarding activities were planned by the boarding team this weekend. Primary boarders had Arts and Crafts and debate practice on Friday afternoon, while secondary boarders went for town trip. This was followed by football, a movie night and a games night on campus in the evening.
On Saturday morning several boarders left for Arusha to take part in football and basketball tournaments at Braeburn. Those who remained on campus were treated to Hip-Hop and Afrobeat dancing in Karibu Hall and football on the top pitch. The evening was crowned by a disco in the dining hall.
The boarders were taken to their respective places of worship on Sunday morning. After church there was primary basketball competition in Karibu Hall, and various sporting activities in the afternoon, including Tennis, pool games and football.

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
P4 to M1 students will practise some of these online tests this Tuesday, 7th February.

After the huge success of our Blood Drive last Semester, we are planning another Blood Drive on Friday, 24th February from 2pm. KCMC Hospital is in great need of blood supplies which are in short supply. You can help by giving about one hour of your time to donate blood to be used at the hospital. We would like to encourage as many members of the community to come to school to donate blood as feel able.
A number of doctors from KCMC who are members of our community have kindly offered to join us to support the KCMC and blood donation staff to ensure that the event is a success and that all operates smoothly.
If you are over 18 years of age, in generally good health, and weigh more than 50kg, we would be very grateful for your support. Students who are 16 or 17 years old require parental permission to donate blood. A tiny drop of blood is taken from your fingertip. This allows the medical staff to check your haemoglobin levels and ensure that giving blood won’t make you anaemic. If all is well, you will be able to donate blood. You will donate about 470ml of blood – this amount of blood is quickly replaced by your body. Once you have given blood, you should have a short rest before being given some refreshments. All in all giving blood shouldn’t take more than an hour. Please remember to have something to eat and drink before you give blood. There will be some light refreshments available for donors in school.
Please do try to help and join us to donate on 24th February. Whether you are a first time donor or a frequent donor, you will be very welcome. Please spread this message amongst your friends and colleagues so that we can maximise the success of this event.

HOME OF THE LEOPARDS As mentioned in last week’s article, the importance of culture in schools and sports programs. I had the opportunity to speak with students and I believe we are heading in the right direction with this culture. As students make a commitment to the program, the program needs to show a commitment to students as well. So we are arranging sport friendlies on a weekly basis with local clubs and schools to keep our teams and players fresh, and we will explore other avenues for our program to expand. This could be international trips, or visitors or any number of opportunities. Keep posted by reading the newsletter.
Sporting News This past Saturday January 28th ISM hosted first round of NTAA games for the U15 Boys and Girls Football and the U19 Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments. It was a great weekend as our teams went a combined 7 wins and 1 loss, the only blemish being a loss to Orkeeswa in U19 Girls Basketball, stay tuned next week for game reports and photos.
This coming Saturday February 4th our Leopard teams are traveling to Braeburn to take part in the 2nd round of the NTAA looking to keep up their winning ways. Please click here for the Game Schedule: www.uwcea.org/sports1702
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 We have started the ISM Indoor Football Tournament and we have already have had 4 great games, and there is still 5 more weeks of competition. It was great to see all the support and enthusiasm from the crowd of students who came to watch. Please click here for the Tournament Schedule: www.uwcea.org/sports_house. We look forward to the rest of the 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)

This weekend, ISM Moshi pool played host to all NTAA schools for the first annual NTAA Regional Swim Championships. Many swimmers achieved best times in a challenging format that had some swim nearly back-to-back races throughout the day. The pool itself has never looked more suited to a competition format, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Coach Sabini and Lifeguard Juma. The competition ran smoothly, with nearly no setbacks or scheduling errors to stop the flow of events. It was truly a combined effort of all the teams in the region, for we relied on parent volunteers from ISM Moshi and other schools to time, record, enter times in the computer (a task that took hours after the meet had ended) and officiate. Mr. Hibbard was an excellent announcer and Ms. Annalee’s organization of the food ensured schools were provided with snacks throughout the day. The NTAA Regional Team will be announced by the end of next week.
The swim season is just getting underway, though three competitions in three weeks has been dizzying. We resume regular workouts next weeks, as below. The primary swimmers will be away on Friday 10 February 2017 for a swim clinic and mini-competition at Kennedy House. Next up for four of our secondary swimmers will be the CANA Zone 4 competition in Buluwayo, Zimbabwe, competing for Tanzania. We also have a few school competitions that will be explained in the coming weeks.
Parents should note that all away competitions (i.e. outside of Moshi or Arusha) will likely cost between $250-$350 for flights and other costs.
Workouts Seniors and Invited Juniors (Abraham, Ashraf, Delham, Joanna) Monday – 15:15-17:15 Tuesday – Thursday – 05:30-06:50 Saturday – 08:00-10:00
Junior Group Monday – 13:30-15:00 (swimmers must each lunch first) Lunch Swim – Tuesday – Thursday – 13:30-13:50 Saturday – 10:30-12:00
Upcoming Events

Friday 10 February – Swim Clinic – Kennedy House, Usa River- 0830 depart ISM – Primary

Wednesday 15 February – Primary Swimming Gala on Moshi Campus – school only – details TBA

Tue 14 – Sun 20 Feb – Zone 4 Champs – Zimbabwe – Sanne, Alicia, Chris

Sat 18 Mar – NTAA Primary and Secondary Gala – SCIS – Arusha

Thur 23 Mar – Sun 26 Mar – KIS Swim Championships – ISK Nairobi, Kenya

Sat 1 April – TSA Nationals – Dar es Salaam – details TBA

Fri 28 April – Mon 30 April (bank holiday) – Mwanza Swim Meet – details TBA

NTAA Regional Team Competition – details TBA

Some of our Primary PSPE students have been hard at work on their Adventure Challenge units, inquiring about how to effectively solve problems using trust, communication, and open-mindedness. Our first classes involved blindfold activities where students relied on each other without the use of their vision, to complete activities that they then reflected upon based on how much of the three areas were used. Observers who did not participate recorded their thoughts and shared them with the students, and photos were taken that will be a part of an assessment that will be included in their portfolio.
The younger classes have begun their striking games unit, where we are looking at the connection between organization and effectively hitting objects in sports like tennis, baseball, and kickball.
This week, we will begin sign-up for the primary interhouse indoor football tournament. Teams must be from the same house, they must have a minimum of five players and they are allowed two subs. Sign-up will be ongoing for the week in each primary classroom. Students can only play on one team.
Book Week is an excellent reminder that we are all student-athletes, and reading plays a large role in strengthening our ability in the field of play.
Upcoming Dates

Fri 10 Feb 2016 – Swim Clinic Kennedy House – primary swimmers – depart ISM 08:30 – bring a lunch and snack (day students)

Wed 15 Feb 2017 – Primary Swimming Gala in Moshi – details TBA

Sat 18 March 2017 – Primary and Secondary Swim Gala – St. Constantine’s – depart 05:30 approx. – details TBA

Thur 23 – Sun 26 March – KIS Swim Champs – ISK Nairobi, Kenya – invited swimmers only

March 2017 – NTAA Basketball – details TBA – postponed from February

April 28 – May 1 – Mwanza Swim Meet – details TBA

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 6th and the relevant Feb 11/12 tennis tournament registration forms are available at the reception. Once completed, please return the registration form also to the ISM receptionist. For any questions, please email .

The appointment of Anna Marsden as the new Director of ISM from 1st August 2017 has been announced on the CIS website: www.cois.org/page.cfm?p=1833&newsid=523.

D1 has been studying the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. We have used the novel as a vehicle to explore health issues, specifically those of mental health. This has involved the investigation of common mental disorders, discussions about normal and aberrant behavior, power imbalances, and how society views and treats those with mental disorders. We have also watched the film version starring Jack Nicholson, using it to deepen our understanding of the themes and characters of the novel. This novel study is leading us into a practice written assignment, which will pave the way for their actual written assignment that they will be researching over the summer holiday.
D2 has just finished their mock papers 1 and 2. We have been reviewing their results, as well as revisiting studying and test-taking skills. In quarter 3, we will be investigating topics of cultural diversity and health. These investigations will lead us into the mock and then final individual oral assessments, both of which take place this quarter. Additionally, this quarter will see the students finishing up the final draft of their written assignments. Quarter 3 is going to involve a great deal of work, as exams are not far away now, but the payoff will be walking on stage for graduation in just a few short months.
David Hagen

Keep calm and study Dutch Because food is an important part of our culture, we ended quarter 2 with some delicious Belgian waffles. Thank you to all students who helped with the baking and… the eating.
Focused mainly on the topic of communication and media: privacy on the internet, sensationalism and censorship in the media. Where do we draw the line? Do we know examples of censorship and sensationalism in media, even in our home country. We also did a little thought experiment: Imagine we would want to publish a book like ‘Mein Kampf’ by A. Hitler, what kind of reasons would we need to justify publication? Or shouldn’t we publish something like that? See this video made by our D1 students: www.uwcea.org/dutch.
They read ‘Joe Speedboot’ by the famous Dutch author Tommy Wieringa and made a first written assignment based on the book. Both students decided to write a diary entry from the perspective of one of the main characters of the book. We saw some outstanding creative writing.

Congratulations to Paua Elsley (Design teacher at ISM Arusha Campus) and the ISM students who have won a 3-D printer from Ultimaker as the winner of the East African region! The school has been awarded an Ultimaker 2+ to carry out a student project that is intended to develop skills in technology, engineering, science and math. Further details are available at https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/37106-ultimaker-education-challenge-winners-announced.

Update:

Most D1 and D2 students continue to show focus and effort (see photos) as the quarter 2 progresses and the regular Tuesday 1:20-2:20pm Guidance Hour remains an essential time for students to arrange 1-1-1 meetings with DP teachers so encourage your son/daughter to use well that time.

The most recent Pamoja Education on-line students grade reports for ISM DP students were shared with parents.

DP teachers joined all ISM faculty on Sat Feb 4th for an excellent professional development training facilitated by ex-Iringa International School Head Kristeen Chachage on concept-based learning and differentiation in the classroom (see photo).
Upcoming Events:

The next six weeks include an array of D2 coursework deadlines. Parents would be wise to continue to enquire of your son/daughter in the D2 class on these matters to assist them.

This week in the ‘D1 Research and Writing skills’ class students will review the guidelines and timeline for the Extended Essay (https://bit.ly/2laskyM).

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.

Final changes are being made on the DP Handbook for the incoming class. and it will be published by February 10th. M5 parents who will be on the campus on Tues Feb 14th and who plan on enrolling their son/daughter in the ISM Diploma Programme are invited to have face-to-face meetings on that day (DPC – ISM incoming D1 student – parent) to make course selections.

A reminder to parents of D2 students to reserve on your calendar Friday May 19th (Graduation Friday evening dinner) and Saturday May 20th (Graduation Ceremony).
Websites: On the IB full diploma – https://bit.ly/2l5ZXWh
To read past ISM Moshi newsletters – www.uwcea.org/newsletters
To see ISM annual calendars here – www.uwcea.org/moshi-arusha/calendar
Rick Fitzpatrick, (Diploma Coordinator):

Unit of Inquiry We are still in need of different types of lights for our inquiry, particularly torches/flashlights for an investigation we are carrying out this week. Last week the children sorted a variety of lights according to where their energy comes from. It’s been wonderful that so many children have brought in lights for show and tell; they provide rich learning experiences for the class. In the dark room we are in the middle of sorting materials that reflect light and those that don’t. We will also look at the concept of change in terms of why we have light and dark/day and night.
BOOK WEEK Our big focus for this week is reading! Please remember that on Monday your child should come to school dressed as their favourite book character. We have mystery readers coming to school on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. If you can come and read to the class please let me know but don’t tell your child! Later on in the week the children will be going on a Teddy Bear’s picnic; more details to follow about this event. Everyday we will all drop everything and read for about 15 minutes; there will be cosy spots set up around the classroom to read in! We are also looking forward to P5 coming to be our reading buddies. Our book door will soon be finished; look out for this going up very soon. Finally I would love it if all the children could swap a book this week. Please donate a book or two that you don’t want anymore so that we can take the whole class to the book swap on Tuesday.
Numeracy EC1; counting objects, matching sets of objects to numerals, and playing more number games in groups. Using a tablet programme to practise writing numbers and counting skills. 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.

Congratulations to Eli and Niall for participating in the NTAA Regional Swimming Championship. Our class was so excited cheering for them on the poolside.
Important Event! BOOK WEEK Please encourage your children to dress up as their favourite book carachter on Monday.
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 started to use the Time Machine. Some children ‘went back’ in time and shared special stories about their parents or their own past. We also looked at some video documentation and read stories about Vikings. The children were real inquirers as they were showing great curiousity when finding out more interesting facts about Vikings.
Thank you for sending in the photos! Some children already started to use them in their History documentation. 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: no, go New sounds: ‘oo’, ‘or’ and ‘ar’. The children practised ‘writing words and sentences with the new sounds. We also played some games to practice reading and writing High Frequency and Tricky Words.
Purple group practised writing after dictation, learnt some new sounds: ‘oy’ ‘ir’ and ‘ue’.
Maths focus of the week. This week we continued to learn about money. The children enjoyed adding together coins of different values. We turned this into a shopping game. The children became shopkeepers and customers – buying and selling fruits and veggies – borrowed from the Wendy House kitchen! They really enjoyed this and were very engaged. They particularly liked the idea of ‘giving change’. Perhaps this enthusiasm is something that parents can build upon in their upcoming shopping trips. Unfortunately, Ms Kate now has to go to the UK for two weeks – the children have been informed. Ms Andrea will therefore be taking the maths classes in the meantime. Thank you Ms Andrea.
Important Event: Book Week (6-10th February) Activities:

6th February – dress up as your favourite book character.

Book swap: the children will be able to swap their tickets to new books on Tuesday.

Door display – please 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: This week we are going to be very busy preparing for our Assembly as we are going to lead it. The children have so many ideas it’s going to be very hard to narrow it down to 10 minutes. Please come along to watch our great ‘communicators’ on Friday morning after the Attendance if you have time. Monday: Dress up as favourite book characters. Swimming – please bring: trunks/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: 7:40 Assembly P1/2 is leading it. 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, Last week the children worked hard on preparing for book week. You will notice that a lot of effort has gone in to decorating the classroom doors. Please stop by and take a look. It is now Book Week. The children will be taking part in many fun activities related to books we have read and new books that they are being introduced to. If there are any parents, grandparents etc. that would like to take part in our surprise read please email me: Throughout this week, the children will be encouraged to bring in books from home that they can read or like to look at. These books can be in any language, fiction and non-fiction. Each day the children will take part in an activity called DEAR- Drop Everything And Read.
This Week in class: This week we arranged a visit from Ms. Tahera, who runs the school cafeteria. She came and spoke to the children about her role and the responsibilities she has in organizing food for our school. The children came up with some very interesting questions: How many people work in the cafeteria? How do you order the food? What happens if the children don’t like the food? What happens when someone is sick or injured?
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 at the process of making that food. They will be deciding on how to represent their finding; either a poster, book, or leaflet etc.
Reading: Book week activities: Book cover designs / guess the character/ visualizing books/ 3D book craft / read loud and proud / buddy read – Lots of fun activities for this week
Writing: We will continue our focus on persuasive writing. Writing using our OREO organizer (opinion, reasons, evidence and opinion). The children will be writing letters to communicate their writing. They will be design and making their own 3-dimensional book.
Math: Money will continue to be the focus in math this week. We will be looking at combinations to make different totals of money. We will be comparing amounts of money and looking at the difference.
The Week Ahead: Monday: Home readers and homework go home. Book character day (come dress as a book character). Tuesday: Library and Swimming. Book swap begins Wednesday: P3 French Thursday: Field trip to Machame – healthy snack, water, hat and covered shoes Friday: PE. Please return homework.
Useful website: www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/QuickLinks.aspx?contentType=2
Have a great week Clare Hibbard P2/3

This week is book week and the students are very excited. I look forward to seeing the wide range of creative costumes on Monday. We will be focusing on Literacy this week and among other things we will be retelling stories in various ways including acting and with puppetry. In ICT we will create stories online using the Book Creator app.
In Math we will look at story problems and create our own using time and money. This past week we began looking accounting and learning how to make orders. We learned a new tool in ICT where we made posters and started to look at the importance of advertising and marketing in the business world.
We are excited to have scheduled two visits from real business people in our own community to see what tips they have to help us make our business proposals.
We are still looking for mentors for our small business groups so please contact me if you can help. Also keep reviewing those timestables! Julie Bowen, (P4/5 Class Teacher)

Scarlett and Shose celebrated their birthdays this week and we all enjoyed sharing their birthday cakes. Many happy returns girls.
Please check with your child that he/she has a book week costume organised for Monday. These can be as simple or as complicated as you choose. Your child might like to bring something more comfortable to change into for outdoor break time.
This week in maths we have been continuing our probability investigations and working on strategies to solve maths word problems. We also revised days of the week and months of the year. This sounds simple but some of the children still find concepts such as, “Today is Saturday, what day will it be in 4 days time?” or “How many days are there in June?” difficult and it would be useful to practise these skills at home.
In Language Arts we have been working on story structure and writing a story under timed conditions. The children put their keyboard skills to good use and wrote a story in the I.T. lab.
As part of our unit of inquiry the children investigated the potential energy of balloons. Our classroom was filled with balloon rockets whizzing through the air. We also mixed vitamin C with water to create a gas and used this to power a small plastic container rocket. We investigated the best mix to send our rockets as high as possible. The children enjoyed this activity immensely. Please could you send in any unwanted small boxes to class (about the size of a tissue box, no bigger than a cereal box) as we will use these towards the end of this unit to construct our own vehicles. The children have been writing up their investigations using the structure of materials, method, results, conclusion. In future weeks we will work on formulating our own hypotheses.
Our class read aloud has been “The Iron Man” by Ted Hughes. Next week is book week and P5 will decorate our classroom door as the book cover of “The Iron Man.” We have been working on our art activities this week. Please pass by our classroom and admire our door.
On Friday 9 members of P5 participated in the NTAA swim championships. As I write the results are unknown but we are very proud that P5 was so well represented in the swim meet.
Many thanks to those of you who are able to visit P5 during book week as a “surprise reader.” I am sure the class will be delighted to see you.
Next week in class UOI – we will investigate elastic band powered vehicles. Language – we will revise the structure of opinion piece writing and will write a piece on the computer. We will also participate in a range of book related activities as part of our book week celebrations. IT – we will continue to practise keyboard skills and work on our maths skills on mangahigh.com Maths – we will continue to work on problem solving skills and ways of presenting data.
The week ahead: Monday – I.T. and special book week assembly – please dress up as a character from a book. Library books should be returned. A new homework packet will be sent home. Tuesday – P.E., Music and French Wednesday – Swahili Thursday – French and I.T. Friday – Swimming, Swahili and Music. Homework should be returned to school. Deborah Mills, (P5 Teacher)

This week the P6 students had their PYP Exhibition Retreat. We were joined by the P6s from ISM Arusha. The students had great fun knowing each other and getting a glimpse of what the Exhibition entails. The students explored what Exhibition is and isn’t, came up with their burning issues, found out how these could fit under the 6 Transdisciplinary Themes and gained a clearer understanding of Action within the PYP.
The students had a fantastic time at Kishari House, where we stayed for the night. The collaboration was amazing. The students worked together like they had known each other a long time before this event. They interacted confidently, with respect and open-mindedly as they invited each other’s ideas and opinions.
In the coming week, we celebrate Book Week. This eventful week will start with all students and teachers dressing up as a book character. We will have an assembly in Karibu Hall on from 7:35 a.m. this coming Monday. We will have DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time everyday for about 20 minutes. All students are encouraged to be prepared with a book that they will read during DEAR time.

Parents you are welcome to our class as a surprise reader. Choose a day in the week when you can come and read a story to the class. The students are not supposed to know of your visit, keep it a surprise and just send me an email with the day and time indicating when you would like to come.
Book swap– your child is encouraged to bring a book that they would like to swap for someone else’s. They receive a ticket for each book they bring. I also have tickets for the parents incase you want to swap a book. You can drop the book in my class and I will issue you with a ticket. Kindly ensure that it is a book that is appropriate to bring to the book swap at school.
We will also have buddy reading with the P2/3s, door display competition and many more fun activities.
In our Math inquiry we will be measuring temperature, distance and capacity as we carry out experiments showing energy transformation. Under the Language Arts lens, we will record our findings and come up with conclusions from the experiments. We will also continue with our book study on “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” by William Kamkwamba. Ms Cathy.

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