Moshi Campus News – 20 Oct 2018

Welcome back to the second quarter of 2018 and a warm welcome to the new students joining us. Life at ISM is busy and this quarter is no exception. We have the International Day assembly on Friday with celebrations organized by the PTA in the afternoon.  I look forward to seeing everyone in their national dress.  This also happens to be the 49th birthday for ISM.  For more details about the day, see below.

This quarter we have three Outdoor Pursuits trips, including the Ngorongoro trip leaving on Thursday.  We have an M4 IDU trip to West Kili; NTAA sports including swimming, athletics and netball.  The Drama production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is in December. Also, we have the annual ISM Sports weekend on November 23rd to 25th.

This mix of events combined with what happens in the classrooms makes ISM an interesting place to be and provides students with a wealth of opportunities to be involved in different projects and try new things.

I look forward to seeing everyone around campus this quarter.

Bob Cofer

Venue: In the gardens near to the boarding houses on the right hand side after the school entrance.

Plan: The full school assembly will start at 11:35am.  The kids and the whole school will then move from the assembly to the stands as a procession/fashion show.  Please remember to dress in national dress or national colors to represent your country. The stands will be ready for lunch etc at 12.35pm in line with the end of the school day.  Country stands will receive vouchers to sell their food, drink and activities.  Vouchers will be sold in multiples of 2,000Tsh.  Stand coordinators can price their food/drinks/games accordingly in multiples of two.

Educational element: As well as food, drinks and games please could stands also come along with country facts, the kids can then move between stands and collect interesting facts from each of the countries.  We have small passports with stamps that we can provide to each family/child so they can collect this information.

Additional fundraising: We are proposing to have a raffle and would appreciate it if every country stand can find something relevant to their country, e.g. a khanga from East Africa, or some cheese from The Netherlands or some beer from UK!!! (random examples), we will then sell raffle tickets.

We are also thinking of having a photo booth, perhaps a picture frame and then people can stand in front of a flag/stand and have a photo.  We will then sell the pictures to make some more money.

Arrangements

Currently the following people and countries have signed up, please feel free to add your names to any of the stands… it really is the more the merrier!

Tables and chairs will be ready from 10.30am to enable the set up.

The PTA

Welcome back. I trust you all enjoyed a safe and restful break and are ready for another exciting quarter of learning at ISM.

At this stage of the school year, it is important to remind ourselves of why we are all here by revisiting our Guiding Statements, namely our Mission. To quote a part of that Mission:

“International School Moshi provides a world-class education through a challenging international curriculum in a dynamic environment. We are committed to developing balanced global citizens who are empowered to act responsibly in a complex world.”

Many schools have Mission statements, visions, goals and so on, but, in any successful school, these statements must be more than just empty words on a website or shiny marketing ploys. They need to be alive and at the heart of all that you do as a school. They need to be part of the ongoing conversation, a constant point of reference and the starting point of all decisions involving learning and wellbeing.

Over the first quarter, my first quarter as part of the ISM community, I can safely say I observed our Mission manifested in experiences, events and relationships across the school, from EC to D2 and back again. Of course, there are the “big ticket” events where this is clearly evident but it is in the daily interactions, away from the cameras, where a school’s Mission really lives and breathes.

As we set sail on another quarter of living and learning together, it is important to acknowledge the passion, energy, diligence and huge effort of the staff here at ISM, both the teaching and non-teaching faculty. We are lucky to have such an ardent, caring and committed team supporting our student body. The school is a mission-driven organisation and the staff are certainly key drivers of that collective aim, empowering and supporting the students to act and take responsibility as internationally minded, global citizens both here at school and beyond our walls. As I am sure you can appreciate, for the ISM staff, the working day does not end when lessons finish. Many teachers and EAs are involved in activities, clubs, CAS, OP trips both after school and over weekends. Similarly, many staff were working extremely hard over the break addressing all those jobs that are difficult to complete when school is in session. We are very fortunate to have you all.

Asante sana kwa wote.

Ben Morley

On the 13th November, the school will be having the 2nd quarterly coffee meeting of the year. 

The PTA committee will be meeting around this time (date TBC) to discuss any points and help take appropriate actions. We warmly welcome your questions and comments, either in person to any PTA committee member or to email PTA@ed.ismoshi.com by the 30th October, 2018. 

The AGM is coming

The AGM for the PTA will take place towards the end of November.  The dates will be confirmed ASAP.  Suggestions for the format and preferences for the timing of the meeting are warmly welcomed.

The PTA

What a great start to the year we have had in Sports at ISM.  Students are participating in a great variety of sports and activities, I am looking forward to ramping up the level next quarter as we prepare our students for competitions in Swimming, Netball, Athletics, Rounders, Soccer and of course the big one, ISM Sports Weekend.

Congratulations to all our teams who competed in quarter 1, we have had exemplary sportsmanship, memorable sporting moments and of course success.  Our U19 Boys Soccer ended up on equal points one top of the league but missed out on the trophy by 1 goal in for and against count back, finishing in 2nd.  Our U13 Girls Soccer also came in 2nd, a fantastic effort considering all the team disruptions with conflicting events diminishing the team numbers.   Finally, our U9 Rounders team were crown champions of the NTAA rounders tournament at Kennedy House.

A huge thank you to the coaches who continue to give up their time and promote their love of sport to make all this happen. Likewise, thank you to the community members, parents and boarding parents who have helped with hosting, chaperoning and supporting our teams through quarter 1.  Because of you, our students are developing healthy life habits for their futures.

I hope you remembered the Sports Fitness Challenge for the holiday:

1. Exercise every 2nd day for at least 30 minutes, whether it be going for a walk, playing sport, riding your bike, running, climbing, just get outside and get active.
2. Replace soda with soda water (or plain water)

Have a super sporty holiday.
Go Leopards

Robin Marsh

Next quarter the inter house competition will really start to get busy with chances for each house to take the lead.  In the secondary there will be a chess competition, soccer tournament and a Science/Math quiz.  Primary will start their inter house competitions this quarter with tunnel ball competitions, tug of war and Hula hoop challenges.

Robin Marsh

ISMers, starting on Tuesday the 23rd of October we will be running a cross fit type session every Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 5.40am to 6.20am.  Cross fit involves interval timing exercises which use body weight or low weight items to give you a whole-body workout with minimal impact on joints and ligaments.  It is designed for everyone as all exercises are adaptable, so they can be done by someone who has never really worked out before or by professional athletes.  See you at the outdoor gym by the pool at 5.35am for a 5.40am start.

Robin Marsh

On Wednesday the 31st of October the Moshi campus is hosting the 1st NTAA Secondary Swim Meet of the year.  As a swim meet takes a lot of organisation the PE department and the ISM Swim Team would greatly appreciate any assistance from members of the community who could help with timing and other aspects of the meet from 11.30am to 4pm. Please contact ismswimming@ed.ismoshi.com if you can help by Wednesday the 24th October.

Thank you in advance for your support

Robin Marsh and the ISM Swim Team

Our OP programme continues to grow with a new mountain-biking trip offered lst quarter to Kilimamoto Crater.

This was a full trip with 21 students from both Arusha and Moshi Campuses (pictured above). Departure was from Arusha Campus and the group cycled for approximately 45 km over the weekend. The first day started with an easy ride on a relatively flat terrain through Aga Khan property. The ride became more challenging after lunch with a few steep hills to climb and lots of dust but the exhilarating downhill sections made it all worthwhile! On Sunday, the group reached the Kilimamoto crater and walked around the rim in order to take in the magnificent 360° view of the area.

This upcoming week is the level 4 trip to Ngorongoro crater.

The inquiry question was ‘What human and non-human factors have influenced the identity of Pangani?’  For this M2 students from both campuses went to Pangani from the 24th September to the 27th September looking at the connections between Maths and Individuals and Societies (I&S). For I&S they learned about the history of the buildings and about the people who lived there. They also studied geography by looking at the waves action on the cliffs and coastline. In maths they learned how to use a clinometer to measure the height of the cliff and also recorded the tidal patterns using a trundle wheel. All of these influences have made Pangani the way they are today. 

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to quarter 2. I hope the children have relaxed and are ready for the events ahead of us.

I am excited to say that our overseas order is in. Students as well as teachers are always enthused by new resources so it is a fantastic way to begin the quarter.

All classes will be starting a new unit of inquiry with the exception of EC classes.

Primary Clubs will begin on Thursday 25th October. If you have not signed up your child kindly do that by Monday so we can finalise the lists.

Kindly ensure that your child’s belongings have been labelled. Also since it is getting warmer, always send your child to school with a water bottle to refill during the day as well as a hat for outdoor activities.

Cathy Wambua Saha

Welcome back.

EC now continues with our unit ‘Who we are’. We have interviewed children of various ages from across primary and will now move on to find out more about older members of our community.

Swimming begins again this term and I’ll let you know more information over the coming days. Please remember our request for second hand kitchen equipment to help develop our play area.

Friday – International Day at ISM – wear international dress or the colours of your flag.

Owain Evans

Welcome back to school. I hope you have all had a restful two week holiday and are ready for another quarter. We start off this one with a new unit.

• Transdisciplinary Theme: How The World Works.
• Central Idea: Understanding how and why living things thrive can help us connect with nature.
• Lines of Inquiry: Conditions under which plants grow and thrive. Life cycle of different plants. The connections between plants and other living things.

I am looking forward to work with the children through this very interesting unit. If you have any interests you would like to share with us or know of places we can explore concerning the unit, please let us know.

Please do not forget to send in a healthy snack, a water bottle, a hat and indoor shoes.

Show and Tell this week is free for all as I am sure we are all bursting to share news of our holidays.

Friday – International Day at ISM – wear international dress or the colours of your flag.

Mboka Mwasongwe

Welcome to Quarter 2. I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and students are ready to come back to class with smiles and plenty of tales!

We ended the last quarter with a healthy food party. The party was a fantastic opportunity for students to show off their learning, as well as their cooking skills. I’d like to thank all the parents/guardians for helping out with gathering ingredients and putting the elaborate dishes together.

This quarter we will be studying homes and traditions. We will be looking at what a home is, and how our homes reflect the cultures and traditions that we come from. We will also be looking at homes from the past. This will be combined with discussions about 2D and 3D shapes, poetry and sculpting.

I welcome anyone into class who wishes to share the cultures and traditions present in their homes.

Friday – International Day at ISM – wear international dress or the colours of your flag.

See you on Monday!

Elisha Jaffer

Welcome back P4 parents, I hope all the students had a restful break.

In the coming week we will be introducing vocabulary related to our new Science based unit. We will be looking at how to set up science experiments and review units of measurements. For our Math focus we will look at the conversion of units so an understanding of multiplication will be needed. In Language Arts we will be writing procedures and using sequencing words.

Students are encouraged to bring in books or other resources that can be useful during the unit.

Friday – International Day at ISM – wear international dress or the colours of your flag.

Cathy Wambua Saha

Welcome back to school. I hope you all enjoyed your vacation, and had fun creating memories with family. For the second quarter we are starting off a new unit about Migration. Students will investigate the history of migration, how migration has created diversity, and why diversity enriches societies. Students will be looking into their own migration stories and reflect on where their family has lived before living here in Moshi.

Thank you to all the parents who were able to join us for the presentations on the final day of quarter one. It was special to have you in the room, and I know the students were proud to share their work with you. Thank you to those who brought in books for the book swap. Please bring books back in when they are completed, so that we may continue to share them with other classmates.

Friday – International Day at ISM – wear international dress or the colours of your flag.

Sarah Brummel

I hope you have enjoyed the break and that the children will return to school well rested and full of enthusiasm for the new quarter. We ended the last quarter on a high with our “Living Waxworks” presentation. There was a great turnout by P6 parents plus staff and students and the children were very proud of themselves. The photo shows some of our youngest community members listening to “Neil Armstrong” explain about his voyage to the moon. The first week of the new quarter will be an exciting one. We will be using a stomp rocket, some elastic band powered toys and a potent mix of vitamin c tablets and vinegar to explore different forms of energy transformation. We will also be working on our own mystery stories as well as continuing our work on fractions. I look forward to seeing the children on Monday morning (please note that our schedule remains unchanged so the children will have library on Monday.) All P6 students should have a hat and a water bottle in school – let’s start as we mean to go on!

Friday – International Day at ISM – wear international dress or the colours of your flag.

Deborah Mills