Moshi Campus News – 22 Feb 2019

While writing this I have been popping back and forth to K-hall to see the transformation from sport hall to a full-fledged party hall.  I must thank ahead of time all those that have put in their time to make this event happen.  I would also like to thank all those that have donated items for the raffles and auction.  I have had a sneak peek and know those of you coming are in for a treat though I expect the bidding to be fierce.

In other items around school, there were a lot of happy M5 students at 12:35 today as they walked out of their last Mock Exam.  You will see below that the results will be coming soon.  Speaking of results, the D2 students have their last reports of their ISM career coming out in a few weeks.  Right now they are finishing off all course work and starting to make plans for exam revision.

The pool will be a center of focus in the next few weeks as we have the raft race on Monday morning.  The D1 students have taken this traditional race very serious this year and we are in for a spectacle in the pool.  For those that have never seen the race before, they build rafts of recycled materials that they find around and then race across the pool.  The rafts have to hold one D1 student and 1 P5 or P6 student.

The pool will be in for more serious uses later in the week with the PYP Gala on Wednesday and then the MYP gala the week after.  Some of our swimmers will also be off next weekend to Mwanza.  For more about what is happening on campus, please see below.

Bob Cofer

Don’t forget to come to assembly on Monday by the pool.  Our D1s have been working hard in lifeskills to hone their team building skills in order to win the annual raft race. They have chosen their P5/6 students to help man the vessel and are ready to go.  Races will start at 7.40am with 3 teams from each house competing. 

See you Monday

For the last few weeks the students from M1 to M3 have been working on projects for the science fair. The M3 students have all picked an indvidual area to research and have done their own experiments with the support of the science teachers. The M1 and M2 have been working on group projects.

They will be presenting these in K hall on Friday 1st March from 8:35 to 12:35.

Please come and see what they have found out.

TGF presents it’s annual event that will take place in Karibu Hall on 1st March from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, the entry fee is Tshs 2000 which is exclusive with the snacks that will be sold at the event. The money we raise will be sourced to Pasua and Jitegemee Primary School in Moshi to assist in financing the construction of latrines in the school.

Last year we were able to raise funds for the Kilimanjaro Women Information Exchange and Community Organisation who were abused and could not provide education fees for their children. For this annual event will be working along side SUSO (Stand up and Shout out) a non governmental organisation that aims to make a change in our community by working with the youth to make a difference in contemporary issues.

TGF not only strengthens its members in their speech on diverse matters but also increases their insight in certain pondering issues in our society. This annual event appeases our aim to not only make a difference with our thoughts amongst discussions but also our actions to help the community however we can.

The evening will be filled with overwhelming talent that resides in ISM, including a short skit put together by the CAS and a performance to entertain the night all the more!  Not to mention the fashion show that  will revolve around our ultimate theme which is black and white and finally the coronation of the king and queen.

All are welcome!

In any institution where a large number of people live and work together in close proximity over a significant period of time, there will be occasions when there is conflict. In schools, conflicts arise in the classroom, on the bus, in the dining hall, on the sports field, while waiting in line, and, more often than not, on the playground. The word “conflict” might sound overly severe but, in reality, conflict takes many forms, including teasing, unkind or disrespectful words, excluding people, gossip all the way through to physical infractions.

In education, conflict resolution is the explicit instruction of skills and strategies for resolving a conflict, managing emotions and maintaining peaceful, productive interactions with others. This starts from day one in EC and continues right the way through to D2. As you can imagine, there are many models or strategies out there that schools can choose to adopt or adapt in order to support conflict resolution. Many are based on the idea of restorative practice.

Restorative practice seeks to repair relationships that have been damaged. It does this by bringing about a sense of remorse and restorative action on one side and forgiveness on the other. The practice encompasses problem-solving skills, effective communication and listening skills as well as critical thinking skills. Essentially, it aims to instill the notion of self-management in students so that they have the “tools” to be able to work through a situation together and arrive at a satisfactory conclusion for all involved.

On Monday, we introduced a number of new initiatives to support our Primary students in resolving conflicts on the football pitch, a place of disagreements across the globe for children and adults alike! It has only been a few days but, already, the students are reporting a more positive atmosphere on the pitch. They have been able to resolve minor transgressions themselves and the supervising adults have only had to step in on one occasion to remind everyone of the ongoing agreement. Long may it continue.

Ben Morley

M5 Mock Examinations
The M5 students have just completed their mock exams without any hitches. We thank the teachers for preparing the students and parents for their support. We are now working with the IB to get the scripts back for marking. We expect results by March the 14th.

M5 Service with Kibo Secondary School
For their class project, the M5’s decided to visit the lovely neighboring Kibo Secondary school. After discussing possible project ideas with the school community and looking around the campus, the M5’s along with the Kibo secondary school teachers and principal decided to paint one of the girls’ boarding houses. To make this possible the M5’s are in need of funding for the equipment and paint to complete the project. To raise money, they have decided to host “a car wash” and “a Dunk the Teacher event”. The car wash will take place in the car park from 12:35 to 1:20pm and from 3:00 to 4:00pm on Thursday the 28th of February. Participants pay a minimum of 5,000/- Tsh for a wash but, they can choose to donate more for a good cause. It would be much appreciated and put to good use. The Dunk the Teacher event will take place on the same day (Thursday). The M5’s will ask students to pay a certain amount of money to see their favorite teacher get dunked in water. It’s a fun event and the money goes to a good cause. The M5’s encourage everyone to come to these events and help them achieve their goal. Both events are open to the entire ISM community.

M1 IDU Trip
M1 students proceed to Lake Eyasi for an educational trip as from Monday February 25 to Thursday Feb 28, 2019. This trip involves Design and Integrated Humanities (I&S) subjects. Students will be exploring how:

• The Hadzabe and Datoga communities have developed strategies for adapting to harsh environments;
• These communities have responded to their everyday needs using resources that are around them.

MYP SURVEY
We are thankful to all the parents who participated in the Survey. Your participation in the decision-making process regarding the Student Led Conferences (SLC) and other MYP components is very much appreciated.

David Ochieng

A quiet week on the NTAA sports front, though touch training has started in full swing with over 50 students out to train between Monday and Thursdays sessions.  Things will start to heat up again next week with several of our Swim Team travelling to Mwanza for the meet there on the 3rd of March and then the Primary and Secondary teams will be heading to St Constantine’s to take part in the final NTAA swim meets for the year on the 8th and 9th of March. 

We are also in the process of organising teams for the Primary Sports Weekend in Dar es Salaam on the 17th and 18th of May.  If your son/daughter would like to take part and you have not yet registered them please contact me robinmarsh@ed.ismoshi.com so I can send you the online form to complete. The Primary Sports Weekend is an annual event which has several schools from around Tanzania competing in different sports.  This year International School Tanganyika (IST) is hosting the tournament.  Students may take part in Mixed Rippa Rugby (non contact), Swimming and Soccer (boys and girls).

Kilimanjaro Marathon – https://www.kilimanjaromarathon.com/
It’s the final count down, 1 week on Sunday we will have all MYP and numerous other community members running in the 5km and 21km races in the Kilimanjaro Marathon.

If you are still looking for training opportunities and some company or just looking to keep fit, there are several things happening on and around campus to help you prepare for the Kili Marathon. 

• Monday 3.15pm Mr Foya run session,
• Tuesday 5.30am Cross fit and 4.30pm Mr Melhado run session,
• Wednesday 3.15pm Cross fit,
• Thursday 5.30am Cross fit and 4.15 Sports fitness club,
• Friday 5.15am run interval training,
• Saturday 7.15am Campus run with Ms Jaime/Marieke.

Primary and Secondary Swim Galas
After weeks of learning and refining the MYP students will be show casing their swim prowess in the Secondary Swim Gala on Tuesday the 5th of March 7.45am to 10.15am.  The Primary will have their showcase of swim skills the week before on Wednesday the 27th of February 10.35am to 1pm. Parents are invited to support their children and see what they have been learning in lessons.

If anyone is willing to volunteer their time to time races in either or both events it would be greatly appreciated.  Please contact me robinmarsh@ed.ismoshi.com.

Saturday Soccer
For the football fans out there don’t forget that Saturday soccer is back on from 9am to 10.30am for PYP students.

Robin Marsh

This has been another busy and productive week in the PYP. The P5 students enjoyed a camp at Kahawa Shambani. Many thanks to Ms. Sarah, Ms. Lydia, Mr. Salim and Mr. Hemmens for facilitating this event for the children. The P6 children had the opportunity to view their internal organs with an ultrasound machine when Dr. Henke from KCMC visited the class. Field trips and outside speakers provide our students with real world experiences and make their learning relevant and interesting. How lucky we are to be part of a community where people give up their time and lend their expertise for the benefit of the children.

For those of you that have ordered dvds of last semester’s school production of Joseph, Mr. Evans says the dvds are on their way.

The week ahead:

• Monday morning will see some of the P5 and P6 students participating in the D1 raft race in the swimming pool.  Please come to the pool at 7:35 to cheer on the teams.
• The PYP swim gala is on Wednesday and will begin at 10:35. The children should bring their swim kit to school and wear a named house shirt. You are very welcome to come along and cheer the children on.
• Friday will be a spirit day on the theme of dress as a wild animal to celebrate World Wildlife Day.
• Also on Friday there is a Primary Gathering at 7:35am hosted by Ben and parents are welcome to attend.

This week the children began to explore and delve a little deeper into concepts of causation and connection in Nature. We have been looking at the simple parts of a plant and are beginning to focus on the leaf as a producer of energy. The children are starting to understand that we need the sun for a variety of interconnected purposes. We brought some plants into the classroom and one child decided that it looked like a rainforest. This reminded another of our book ‘The Great Kapok Tree’. This in turn brought us to dressing up as animals from the book and having a go at a playful re-telling of the story.

The book itself is a reminder of the complex and inter-connected nature of our World, telling the story of a single tree, the animals which inhabit it and the effects of its loss on all. The way in which the children helped guide us towards this activity is a great example of ‘agency’, where the children have a voice, a choice and take ownership of their learning. You can begin to see how the children sculpted their own opportunities to develop English speaking and listening skills and the ability to retell and experiment with structure in a story. Personal responsibility for the direction of learning and working (an essential skill in both today’s and tomorrow’s World) is developed most effectively with the support of the teacher rather than under complete direction from them.

Owain Evans

We are continuing with our look into making sentences more interesting. This week, we worked on adding more describing words to sentences so that they can create detailed pictures in our heads when we read them. The children have enjoyed these activities and have come up with quite extraordinary sentences.

“I can see shimmering starts in the midnight sky”.

We will continue looking at sentences next week as we add more punctuation to our growing knowledge base. We will be using the full stops, question mark and exclamation point.

We are planning another epic adventure into our community on the 1st of March. You will receive details of this in the coming week in the form of a letter and an email.

Mboka Mwasongwe

The P2/3 couplets are coming along fantastically. Students have chosen a message they wish to share with the people around them and have created short poems using couplets. We have poems that are informative, those that have a story attached to them, one in French, and most with a hint of wit. The students are completing their final drafts of the poems and they will be available to see outside our classroom. In order to aid their understanding of couplets, students have also used common nursery rhymes and changed them into their own versions.

The students have been using hundreds charts to look at repeated addition, the P3s will relate this to multiplication as a form of expressing repeated addition. The P2s will use this as practice for skip counting as well as working on their number sense.

A reminder that next Wednesday the 27th of February is the Primary Swimming Gala, please come in and cheer your child on. Also a reminder that next Friday (1st of March) is Wild Animal Day.

Elisha Jaffer

The P4 students have shown themselves to be helpful and principled this week by visiting the community garden, watering the plants, arranging the rocks and picking up some trash. Well done P4s for helping to improve the beauty of our school campus. The children have been making maps for a treasure hunt. They have plotted coordinates and measured distances using a trundle wheel (see photo.) In Language Arts they have been writing instructions and they have been using their IT skills to make timelines of different explorers. In Maths they have been carrying out assessments in order to help the planning of their future math learning. Please note that Wednesday is the PYP swim gala and that Friday will be a spirit day on the theme of dress as an animal.

Cathy Wambua-Saha

Our trip to Kahawa Shamba was incredible. First, we set up our tents, and then we went hiking to an amazing waterfall. On the hike we had beautiful views of the forest and hills. There was a lot of banana trees. The hike was tiring, but finally we reached our picnic spot. We also saw a chameleon on the way. At the waterfall, we enjoyed our delicious lunches and a wonderful view of the waterfall. The cold water was refreshing. When we reached the camp site we drew and painted what we saw in nature. After painting we played frisbee. We also saw an amazing sunset. At dinnertime we had an astonishing meal of pilau, rice, and vegetable curry. When it got dark we played hide and seek with flashlights. At nighttime we saw amazing stars, and were able to find Orion’s Belt. We ended the night with a campfire. Sleeping outdoors was an awesome experience.

Written by the P5 Class for our Media Unit

Sarah Brummel

The highlight of our week was a visit by Dr. Oliver Henke from KCMC who showed the children how to use an ultrasound machine. We had the opportunity to see images of the heart, valves, stomach, pancreas, liver, spleen, bladder and more. Dr. Henke spent more than 2 hours with us in the classroom and we are very grateful to him for giving up his time and sharing his expertise. It was an experience that the children will not forget – it may even have inspired future doctors in the P6 classroom. The children have worked hard to finish their Google Slides presentations and the models of their chosen body systems. Next week we will focus on the physical, social and emotional changes that occur during puberty. In maths the children have been plotting coordinates and translating (sliding) shapes and next week we will reflect and rotate shapes on a plane. Next Friday (1st March) as a spirit day. The theme is dress as a wild animal. Please note that Wednesday 27th February) is the PYP swim gala. This will start at 10:35 and you are very welcome to attend. The children should come to school in their named house shirts and bring their swim kits.

Deborah Mills