Arusha Campus News – 7 Jun 2020

UWC East Africa Arusha Newsletter Saturday 6th June 2020

The M5 Class got together for an impromptu photo shoot this week – seeing his class looking so smart was all too much for their tutor Mr Tyler who fell to the ground in disbelief at this unprecedented show of sartorial style form his M5’s!

Dear Parents

Although it is well documented that I do not think of our current M5 students as ‘special’, their amazing camaraderie and cohesion to each other, as well as to their remarkable tutor, Mr Dixon makes them as special as any class can be. Their Personal Project Exhibition this week was nothing short of spectacular and if you have not had a chance to see it I should navigate to the school’s Facebook page or our YouTube page to view a transmission to remember.

We are now looking forward to the graduation of Arusha’s Twelve. Pardon the crass play on Brad Pitt and co in the poster below but over the years, the terrible terrible jokes that we have had to put up with from the likes of the graduating Messrs Mentink and Bouwknechts, means I don’t mind ‘getting them back’.

It is my pleasure to keep introduiing our new teachers for next year. This week we welcome Ali Gaffney who will go some way to redress the gender imbalance amongst the Primary staff! Welcome Ali I am sure before long you will be wearing the Primary trousers so to speak!

Finally, this week a brief update on the building projects. Its almost a full time job now, trying to keep up with progress. Above is an image of the new science laboratories. Almost at roof level, I think next time we will see them in the flesh. The staff houses, boarding houses and intern house are all making great progress and…….next week I shall share with you pictures of the brand new approved restaurant building! It looks breathtaking!

Regards

Phil

The outside of Baobab student residence house with resplendent Mt Meru in the background

Meet the New Teachers – Ali Gaffney (Primary teacher), Jo and Luna!

Habari everyone! I’m Ali Gaffney and I’m looking forward to joining you all at UWCEA along with my wife Jo and our daughter Luna. I have taught Primary in London for the past ten years and can’t wait to get started teaching in the Primary School and with life in Arusha. I love to make classrooms active places with music, song and beautiful books and, having spent time teaching in inner-city schools, I’m excited about taking learning into the outdoors. As a family we love getting out on our bikes, dancing and lying on the ground looking at clouds.

M5 Personal Projects

This year’s Personal Project Exhibition was an on-line affair and the build up to the event was more low key than in previous years. If I am honest, I was anticipating a rather subdued exhibition with diminshed quality. How wrong we all were. It was FABULOUS! Many observers believe it to be the best Personal Project exhibition that we have ever had! The on-line format actually enhanced aspects of the delivery meaning that all attention was placed on one student at a time. They were also able to explain their project precisely, audibly and with a degree of preparation. I thought it was magnificent.

We kicked off with Caedmon’s impossible programming that left us all thinking we were listening to Einstein (Programming more interesting than Insects? Really Caedmon?) followed by Chloe’s gentle giraffes and consummate ease of presentation. Such class!  Then Cody with his Bear Grylls persona shining through and the ability to make something out of nothing – as usual. Devansh gets us back to clever computer animations and makes us feel guilty about the planet whilst smiling the best UWC smile there is! Ben came on and looked like he was Mr Kool about to launch a new career in HL Art! Flavia and her reefs! Wow! what photos and what knowledge about our beautiful seas here in Tanzania. Kim shakes it up with snakes and makes Miss Larpent squirm in her seat. Wow Kim! I hope your story makes a difference to the most persecuted animal on the planet. Lulu was quiet to hear but raised a fight for the next least loved creatures on the planet. I missed the chance to ask my question to Lulu so I must try and catch her with my question. On comes Magnus and trumps the hairstyle competition. No competition with Magnus on screen. Loved his blacksmith work – so cool. Just when you expect Magnus to choose something hi-tech like fingerprint sensors or 3D printing he reverts to a Stoneage (ironage) technology. Awesome. And love the way he remembered Miss Christy at the end! Matilda and her amazing horse whisperer ability. Wasn’t it beautiful. More beautiful that the shida I now have in building a stable at UWC. THANKS Matilda! Ravi, Ravi Ravi. Mr Spaghetti legs himself. Great hair, great smile and proving that real men love chameleons. Amazing buddy. I will tell every single Primary student next year that when they find a chameleon they must take it to Ravi. Will be quite amusing! Next came Rida with his malnutrition study. Made us think Rida and that is exactly what you wanted us to do. I am still thinking about what you said about educating the kids in other schools . Maybe we do something next year. And then as if it was written by a genius (and Miss Larpent and Mssr Emond ARE so GENIUSES) we end up with the heart pulling project from Sanna. Sanna we love you girl – you are simply terrific.

So all in all, you guys have left me in a state of immense pride, happiness and yes almost tears about how good you were. You NAILED it.

Tune in to see the P6 Exhibition

The P6 Exhibitions are now available on the UWCEA website link below.  You can either click on the picture or the drop down menu Arusha Students.

https://pyp.uwcea.org/category/arusha/

This week in P6

Life Skills Reading Challenge Winners

If William Shakespeare were around today (see above), he would agree with Mr R that reading a book reduces stress, and puts you in a better mood. When you read, it transports you and your worried mind to another place, so you won’t feel so overwhelmed. For M1 and M3 Life Skills lessons this quarter, students are taking part in a 10 week challenge to read and report on as many books as possible. After every book they read, they are then required to attempt reporting tasks. These tasks afford them the opportunity to reflect, analyse and report on their understanding of the book.

M1 Winners
Wk 1 – Siri
Wk 2 – Eun
Wk 3 – Brenda
Wk 4 – No winner
Wk 5 – Siri
Wk 6 – Sally
Wk 7 – Siri
Wk 8 – Sally

M3 Winners
Wk 1 – No winner 
Wk 2 – Mahen
Wk 3 – Hunter
Wk 4 – Mahen
Wk 5 – Mahen
Wk 6 – Avalon
Wk 7 – Emma
Wk 8 – Valerie

Counselor’s Corner

We have all witnessed another example of how our lives are inextricably linked, even though we are thousands of miles away from each other. I am impressed with the way young people are getting involved in the conversations and calling for change that has been sought for so many years. As you embark upon conversations in your own homes, please feel free to access some of the new resources that have been added to the COVID-19 Counselor Resources related to talking with your child about racism. There will be more to come, and I welcome any resources you have found that are helpful during these challenging times.

Are you and your child still unsure about the conversation about Liberal Arts institutions? Last week there was a great overview provided by a group of institutions in the US that are part of Colleges that Change Lives (CTCL). This CTCL presentation  https://ctcl.org/ is for International Institutions (Some are UWC Davis Scholar Partner Institutions) and can be found at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCgZ7IvYtfU&feature=youtu.be)

Now that we are less than two weeks away from the end of the school year, I am looking to wrap things up for our soon to be university bound students and those who will be applying in the near future. For our D2 students, I remain a resource as they finalize their plans, or look to take a planned Gap Year then apply in the upcoming cycle. I hope that all D1 students have shared their Post-Secondary Plan Google Slideshow with their parents (even though some have not shared with me), and continue to access the tools and resources available for them in Maia Learning. As our M5 students celebrate the successful completion of the MYP program, I am excited to see the careers that they are considering, and encourage them, and their parents, to continue exploring Maia Learning and virtual college/university visits throughout the long holiday. Although it may seem harsh, I believe in the phrase, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” I recognize that life circumstances can throw plans completely off course, but if you planned once, you can plan again even when circumstances change. I am here to support the development of plans, and any questions that may come up along the way.  Over the long break, I  will be taking some time off, but will offer a few drop in sessions throughout that time for students who need additional assistance when they don’t have school work to deal with.

I continue to welcome D1 and M5 parents to request access to their child’s Maia Learning account by sending me an email. The presentation that I did on 28 May was recorded, and I can send that to you as well to assist you with exploring the platform.

Lastly, as we wind down the school year, there are not as many college/university presentations available through the school. However, most institutions are offering an array of resources on their websites to help students and families learn more about what they have to offer. I encourage all of you to spend some time learning more about the institutions you are interested in by visiting their websites and their official social media accounts.

Wishing you a wonderful and restful weekend, and all the best as we continue to make sense of a difficult time.

Take care and persevere,

Cassandra Ford
University and Socio-Emotional Counselor

Free French online language course

?The Rosetta Stone language learning programme is offering a free online French course to students (and parents!) ?who attend a school that is closed in response to COVID-19.  Please click on the link below to register :

https://www.rosettastone.com/freeforstudents/

?This is a great opportunity to further develop your French skills. ? If you are already learning French at UWCEA, you should register for the ‘Advanced’ or ‘Intermediate’ course.

?Other languages are also available if you wish to learn a new language.

More Distance Learning Getaways for UWC Learners