Arusha Campus News – 18 Mar 2024

Our D1 Biology and ESS students went on their annual camping trip to apply field study skills from class and practice internal assessments. Going to the Napuru waterfalls for the first time, we had an amazing time exploring the forest, river and the brave hopping into the waterfall! A great time to get off campus and enjoy the Mt. Meru forest so close to home.

Mon 18th – Fri 22nd Mar  – PYP MAP Testing

Wed 20th March – M5 Personal Project Exhibition

Wed 27th March – Festival of the Arts

Wed 27th March – PYP Student-led Conferences

Thur 28 March – Last day of classes Q3

Mon 15th April – First day of Q4 

The Peaks Outdoor Pursuits trip to Mt Longido was a resounding success as evidenced by the summiting party in this picture above.

Apologies for the late newsletter this week. Barely does an event take place before the next one is upon us. Here am I, sharing the pictures of Mr Khalid and company at the top of Longido in this evening’s newsletter, whilst Mr Frank is preparing for trips to Tanga (Reefs) and Usambara Mountains (Peaks) leaving on Thursday this week! We learn so much from these experiences and I am sure the readers of this newsletter realise how lucky those of us living out the dream of UWC East Africa all are. We must be careful to savour these experiences, and in the moments when things don’t go exactly to plan………..remember that our incredible team of drivers, caterers, purchasers, administrative staff and teachers, do pretty well at getting it EXACTLY right 99% of the time! 

Enjoy the week ahead!

Phil

UWC Arusha Festival of the Arts is coming up next week!  This year will see a continuous main stage performance programme of student performances from MYP and DP class performances. Such live music includes class performances, Band collabs, talented soloists to Traditional dance.

The M1-3 Art and Design students will take you around their works in the Design Room, while the M4-D2 will showcase their eportfolio/ art exhibition processes and displays in the performance area.

The MYP and DP drama/theatre students will showcase their talent on stage and in scheduled performances in the Drama Room.

Please not this is mandatory attendance and participation for all MYP students, and all DP Visual/performing Arts students.

We look forward to seeing the Arusha Community support on this unforgettable night!

Karibuni!

Developing a child’s fine and gross motor coordination is essential to their development. Everyday we encourage students to participate in these activities and the montage of images above show some of those skills.

Gross motor skills refer to the controlling of large body movements that involve large muscle groups, including core stability and posture e.g. pushing, pulling, rolling, crawling, walking and sitting still.

Fine motor skills refer to physical skills that involve small muscles and hand-eye coordination. Movements are more controlled and precise and often a well-developed pincer grip is needed. These include cutting, sticking, painting writing, typing, playing and using manipulatives.

Both gross motor and fine motor skills are needed for children to engage in creative activities such as dance and art. They are also important for health as children need to move to be active. They are needed for self care, like being able to go to the toilet independently, or getting dressed.

Miss Amanda, PYP Co-ordinator

P1 have fun exploring colours in class as part of their unit on ‘How we express ourselves?’

Here, pictured above, you can see a photograph of Fares in the latest edition of the famous Arusha’s Got Talent extravaganza. Last Friday’s spectacular event made us laugh, sing, and even cry! This Talent Show is Erlinda’s (D2) legacy project for this school, recently taken over by Marie-Félix (D1). We are more than excited to see you flooding the Performance Area for another mind blowing edition next year!

Erlinda (D2) and Marie-Félix (D1)

The MYP Learning Showcase was great fun with attending parents showing a healthy competitive spirit.

Thank you to all families who joined us for the MYP Learning Showcase. On Friday, M1-4 students shared what they are learning in school. Fun was had by all as you can see in the photos of the M3 students and parents in action in PHE and Science. M1 students actively engaged their parents in their English presentation while Phase 2 Swahili students and parents enjoyed a game together. There is more to come, we hope to welcome the UWCEA Arusha community again on Wednesday 27th March for the MYP and DP Festival of the Arts!

Also on Friday, M5 students finished their mock exam week during which they took exams in Maths, English, French, Swahili, Sciences, Humanities and Interdisciplinary and students practised their speaking skills in their French and Swahili mock oral assessments. The image below this article shows the students hard at work in fornnt of their screens! Mock exams give a glimpse into the pressure and atmosphere of the actual on-screen exams; they also help identify strengths and areas for improvement, refine time management skills and, hopefully, reduce exam anxiety. Mock exam results will be shared with students and families and will form an important point of conversation during the M5 conferences which will take place in the beginning of Q4.

Last but not least, we are looking forward to the M5 Personal Project exhibition on Wednesday 20 March between 5-7pm.

Karibuni wote!

Miss Anoek, MYP Co-ordinator

For our project week, we invited students and teachers from the Still I Rise school in Nairobi to our campus and we visited theirs. Still I Rise is an independent organisation that offers education and protection to vulnerable and refugee children all over the world. Our goal was to show them what the Diploma Programme is like and how life is at a United World College. We did this by showing how we operate as a school, during their visit: they participated in school days, extracurricular activities and got a sight of Arusha town. During our visit in Nairobi (see image above) we described the process of applying to United World College and organised activities to explain the Diploma Programme. Currently the school has M1s to M3s, in the future we hope to continue this project with further groups to help get their school to also teach the IB Diploma Programme or make their students apply to UWC!

Ilse, D1

Viet and Vaja pose in front of one of the (camera shy!) giraffes at Arusha Giraffe Centre.

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of visiting the Arusha Giraffe Centre. Our experience began with an insightful presentation by Mr Nick Harrison, on sustainable farming practices, focusing on the impact of fertilizers on soil health and strategies for providing food to a rapidly growing population. The lecture was related to things we have covered in some of our subjects, such as environmental systems and societies, geography and biology, and it showed a perspective on sustainability. After the presentation, we were taken on a walk where we had the opportunity to get close to the giraffes. This trip was definitely a highlight for all of us, and it was a memorable experience. I am really grateful for the chance to explore Arusha through weekend activities and for our teachers who arrange them.

Mailan, D2

D1 Guardian/Parent Session

Thank you to all of the family members who attended the Post-Secondary Planning Part I presentation that was held on Thursday. We hope that you found the session helpful, and have received the follow up resources that were sent to continue to build a strong foundation in order to explore the wide range of options that exist after the UWCEA journey comes to a close. In May, we will meet again to share some information about global application systems, so stay tuned for more information about the date and time of Part Two. That presentation will not be able to include all country application systems, but during one-on-one conversations with students I look forward to more personalized discussions about specific country/system pursuits. In addition, there are lots of resources available that will assist current D1 students, and D2 students who are taking a Gap Year, with gaining a better understanding of how to prepare for the application process in the country/ies they are considering. If you have any questions about your application process, please feel free to contact me. Also, if you did not receive the follow up resources that were sent after the session on Thursday, including the recording, please let me know so that we can make sure you have an account on the Toddle platform where messages are regularly sent. Stay connected and stay tuned so that you do not miss anything like…

It is Fair Time!

Over the next two weeks we will have some exciting opportunities for upper secondary students, and families, to engage with career and college/university options. On Thursday, 21 March, we will host the 2024 Careers Symposium with a focus on “Careers in a changing world.” Our students are coming of age during a very different time than any of the adults in their lives, and careers are changing rapidly. It is important for our students to spend time learning about the world of work, and how they can begin building relevant employability or entrepreneurial skills for a changing professional environment. In addition, this is the time to start learning more about college and universities as they adapt in order to provide young people the education they need for the professions they will enter in the near future. The week of the 24th, there are two excellent online fairs taking place. On Sunday, 24 March, families can register and attend the NACAC virtual fair. Then on Tuesday, 26 March, we were invited to attend the CIS University Exploration Day – Africa. This fair will take place in the afternoon, and will include two sessions that students may want to join. At 1PM EAT there will be a session about University Colleges in the Netherlands, and at 1:30PM EAT the session will focus on alternative careers to medicine in Canada and the US. M4-D1 students have been provided with the information to register, and some questions to think about as they prepare for these virtual fairs. We welcome families to register and begin previewing the list of participating institutions in order to make the most of the fair experience.

Be sure to take a look at what is coming our way, and register in advance when necessary via links provided on the UWCEA Careers website Calendar of events. Here are a few that we want to highlight…

UPCOMING College and University Events

21 March: 7:45-10 AM EAT UWCEA Careers Symposium and D2 hosted Post-Secondary Planning Fair – M5 and D1 students only
24/25 March: 8PM – 1AM EAT NACAC Virtual Fair (major online event)
26 March: 1-4PM EAT CIS University Exploration Fair (Africa) – virtual (advance registration required.
Link: https://cis.swoogo.com/Africa-and-Middle-East2024/
15 April: 4:45-6:00 PM EAT 15 on the 15th returns with a “Hot Admissions Topic” and a virtual fair with 13 Davis UWC Scholar Partners & 2 UWC “friends”

Take care and enjoy your weekend!

Cassandra Ford
College and Career Counselor
cassandraford@uwcea.org

 

WANTED! Plastic or wooden toys (easily washed) to share with the children at Selian Lutheran Hospital. The children are generally under 5 years of age. Any small cars, rattles, building blocks, “my little ponies”, balls, small plastic animals, and like items would be most appreciated. Many of the children are malnourished and spend considerable time on the wards and on their beds with their mamas. Any African dolls would be well loved. We would kindly decline stuffed animals because of the difficulty to keep them clean both at the hospital and home. Many items we would keep and use in the inpatient ward and during the outpatient clinic but we would love to be able to send a toy home with a child at discharge. Thank you so much for your consideration! A box will be set outside the UWC Office for collection.

Thank you!!