Arusha Campus News – 31 Aug 17

The Student Council Elections took place this afternoon – results next week!

ISM will be celebrating UWC Day this year as we look to join the movement. It falls on International Peace Day, 21st September. The theme this year is ‘The Power of Diversity’ and ISM will be participating in many events surrounding this. Both campuses on the Monday 18th September during assembly will be painting with their handprints a mural of the word ‘Diversity’ on the school walls as a permanent reminder of one of our core values. There will also be a photo competition around the word diversity and in classes teachers will be discussing what this means to our students and community. We welcome you to attend either of our assemblies and if you want to learn more about UWC please go to  https://www.uwc.org/about

Phil

We have started this year with two new faces on our Curriculum Team. Mrs Acomb is our new PYP Co-ordinator whilst Mr Anderson is our new Diploma Co-ordinator.  Ms Larpent continues in her role as the MYP Co-ordinator.

PYP Co-ordinator

My name is Liz Acomb. I am in my sixteenth year of teaching and sixth international posting. Originally from the UK, I have lived in Portugal, Sudan, Qatar, Germany and now beautiful Tanzania. Along with my husband Darren and three year old daughter Zara we love exploring new places and going on safari. I also enjoy baking, gardening and in my younger days I rallied Minis. This year I have taken on the role of PYP coordinator and I look forward to working with parents and teachers to enhance our curriculum and programme for all the primary students. You can now find me in the EC classroom or in the office next to the nurse.

MYP Co-ordinator

My name is Florence Larpent and my role as MYP Coordinator is to implement the Middle Years Programme according to IB standards and practices. I’m working closely with MYP teachers, Heads of Departments and the Head of Secondary to support students in their academic studies, to review the curriculum, to provide opportunities for community service and to implement the Personal Project and the eAssessments in M5.

Other key roles in the MYP involve the Interdisciplinary Leader, the Service as Action Coordinator and Personal Project Coordinator who will be presented in next week’s newsletter.

Besides MYP coordination, I’m also the OP Coordinator as I’m passionate about the outdoors. I love going on adventures exploring the natural environment through outdoor activities such as mountain biking, rock-climbing, scuba-diving…

Don’t hesitate to come to my office (Room S23 ‘The Hub’) or contact me (florencel@ismac.ac.tz) if you would like more information about the MYP.

DP Co-ordinator

Hello, my name is Reed Anderson and I am the current Diploma Programme Coordinator at ISMAC. I am originally from Barrie Ontario, Canada. I love all sports and my favorites are Hockey, Golf and Rugby. I am looking forward to taking on the challenge of being the DP coordinator here and cannot wait to see what the year brings. Ensuring that all students in D2 are able to follow their dreams is my number one priority this year.

Despite this being a short week, life is still busy in the Primary and Secondary schools. Students of all ages have been settling into their routines and after a couple of weeks of school the holidays seem a long way behind us.

Collaboration has been the word of the week, with this being the theme of the secondary assembly on Monday and both sections looking towards elections of new student councils. Indeed the special share-time today in PYP was focused on electing their new student representatives.

Collaboration continues throughout the PYP and the MYP through our trans-disciplinary themes and interdisciplinary units (IDU), along with our Outdoor Pursuits (OP) programme. In the coming weeks we will see M1 take part in the OP campcraft weekend and M2 travel to Pangani for their IDU. Beyond the curriculum we will be entering into interschool sports, with basketball, football, tennis and rounders to name but a few of the sports this semester.

The parents have not been left out of collaborative learning this week, with a PYP workshop and an introduction to Managebac.

Enjoy the long weekend and we look forward to more and more collaboration.

Darren

Each week for the next few weeks we will introduce one of our new teachers. This week we get to know our new P2 teacher, Carmen Maarschalk, pictured above with Adrian, Ethan and Chloe in a huge baobab!

My name is Carmen Maarschalk.  I am very excited to be part of the ISM community. 

I was born and raised in South Africa.  After completing my OT community service in a rural town in South Africa I moved up to Kenya to explore more of Africa and the rest is history.  8 years later I am still in East Africa with my husband and two beautiful children. 

Last year I embarked on the adventure of becoming a teacher and I am very grateful to formally be a part of ISM this year.

Tell us if you like the new look.

https://www.uwcea.org

The Outdoor Pursuits programme at ISM provides students with opportunities for healthy outdoor recreation, leadership development and experiential learning. Currently the OP programme consists of a graded hiking programme intented to allow students to progress progressively through challenging levels, starting with an overnight Camp-Craft trip for M1 students to learn OP basics followed up with trips from Level 1 to Level 5 – a six day trip to summit Mt Kilimanjaro. We are also planning to introduce an OP Mountain Biking trip this semester- watch this space!

Signing-up for an OP trip:
Sign-ups for OP trip will start on Monday 21st of August. OP information with cost and dates has been emailed to students and posted on ManageBac. It will also be presented to students through tutors on Monday and throughout next week as well as posted on the OP notice board at school. To sign-up, it is the students’ responsibility to inform Ms Larpent, the OP Coordinator, of their interest in an OP trip, upon which they will receive the sign-up letter for parents. Payment can then be made directly at the accounts’ department in order to secure a spot for the trip. As there are limited places, priority will be given to students who are the first to make full payment.
Please note that the Tanzanian government is applying the VAT tax on tourism activities and unfortunately this tax is affecting the cost of our OP trips. The differing prices for Tanzanian and expatriate students reflect differing charges from the National Parks.
Please do encourage your son/daughter to take this opportunity to experience the wonderful environment here in Tanzania.

Below is an overview of the OP trips for Semester 1:
 

Director Anna receiving first aid last weekend!

Last weekend, 16 teachers from Arusha and Moshi Campus completed a three day Wilderness First Aid training course. They were back in the classroom for their CPR exam (everyone passed!) and practised various outdoors emergency scenarios (snake bites, fractured ankle, altitude sickness…). These first aid skills are a requirement for staff taking part in our Outdoor Pursuits programme so that our OP leaders are provided with the best possible skills to keep our students safe when out on a trip.

PLEASE OBTAIN ENTRY FORMS FROM PHIL OR CAROLINE AT RECEPTION

Arusha Medivac provides Tanzanian citizens, residents and visitors with medical air evacuation within Tanzania and to Nairobi, Kenya. We are the only service provider with our own aircraft and professional medical team in Tanzania.
Utilizing a fixed-wing aircraft configured with life-saving medical equipment and supplies, Arusha Medivac is regulated by the TCAA and runs in accordance to all civil aviation regulations. Behind every call for service is a team of professionals driven by compassion. Arusha Medivac is dedicated to delivering the best possible care.
Arusha Medivac offers a variety of memberships ensuring everyone is covered while living and traveling in Tanzania. We also offer a fee for service option to enable anyone in a medical emergency to receive assistance when they need it most.
For more information about getting yourself or your family covered email info@arushamedivac.org