Arusha Campus News – 9 Mar 2025

On Friday the P3 class wrapped up their Unit of Inquiry about the solar system with some star, moon and planet gazing. This stunning photo was taken by Rupert Elderkin.

Fri 14th Mar – NTSAA Primary Swim Gala @ Arusha Campus

Sat 15th Mar – NTSAA Secondary Swim Gala @ Arusha Campus

Mon 17th-Fri 21st Mar – PYP MAP Testing

Wed 19th Mar – 5pm Personal Project Exhibition

Thu 27th Mar – Festival of the Arts 5pm

Mon 24th-Fri 28th Mar – PYP MAP Testing

Sat 22nd Mar – TEDxUWCEA Youth at Arusha Campus

One of our spectacular OP Plains campsites in the Serengeti Plains. Mr Frank led Plains Exploration group out to Mkuru this weekend.

Lots and lots of news in this week’s newsletter, so I shall be brief. And yet I have still had to leave some things out. We will have pics and a report on the epic Arusha Rhinos vs Moshi Leopards basketball match on Saturday. Our OP trip this weekend returned safely so we will have news next week too.

In the meantime, read on and enjoy this week’s newsletter.

Phil

Picture above – P5 enjoying the view of Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru from the top of a caldera.

P5 had a fantastic camp at the Arusha Giraffe Center. First of all we climbed to the top of the caldera crater and enjoyed the magnificent view of Kilimanjaro. After which we went to the river to dig for water which we eventually found. We then went to see a fantastic range of renewable energy sources including wind, solar, biomass and a parabolic mirror. After a reasonably good nights sleep, we woke up to explore the giraffe center and had a close encounter with the giraffes and learned a lot about re-wilding, soil quality and erosion. There was lots of time left over for games, birthday cake, marshmallows, and torch tag.

Amanda, Head of Primary Years Programme

For Book Day, each year group in the primary school created a mobile based on the story they read in another language as part of our book day celebrations and exploring the amazing variety of languages we have in our primary school

The P1/2’s had Tommy’s parents (pictured above) come in to read us a story about Los Tres Chanchitos which is the Three little pigs.  They had a quick role play and got busy with making the characters for their story.

We had a fantastic talk from Hasse (pictured above) who is traveling by bicycle from Cairo to Cape Town. The students asked fantastic questions and we learned that somedays she cycles 60 km and others 240. We wish her all the best on her journey.

Pictured above is Charlie from Early Childhood. Charlie and his friends have been exploring high and low sounds on piano.

The U9 and U11 Hockey teams played superbly on Saturday at SCIS. The U11 team (pictured above) were the eventual winners and Ranbir (below) was the well deserved U11 player of the tournament. A special mention goes to Chloe who was injured during the final and to coach Mr Jonny for preparing the teams beautifully

It’s a busy and exciting time for our M5 students! Recently, they participated in a Personal Project report workshop (pictured above), where they focused on peer review to enhance their report-writing skills. With valuable feedback from their teacher supervisors, students are now refining their draft reports before submitting their final Personal Projects in mid-March. We warmly invite the school community to the Personal Project Exhibition on Wednesday, 19 March, from 5-6.30pm (see invitation below this article). This event is a fantastic opportunity to explore the students’ projects, hear about their journeys, and celebrate their achievements.
In preparation for their eAssessments, M5 students will take part in a week of on-screen mock exams next week. These practice sessions offer a realistic glimpse into the exam experience, helping students build confidence, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and refine their time management skills. Wishing our M5 students the best of luck in this important stage of their learning journey!

Congratulations to our U13 volleyball team who won against Orkeeswa on Thursday!

Last but certainly not least, happy International Women’s Day to our incredible female students and staff! We appreciate and celebrate your contributions to our school community. We look forward to the Women’s Day activities planned for Tuesday 11 March.

Anoek, Head of MYP

Below, our U13 volleyball team who won against Orkeeswa on Thursday!

A few weeks ago, the M4s culminated their Travel Journalism unit in English by embarking on a series of field trips around Arusha. These various excursions gave students an authentic travel experience on which to base their final projects. Smaller groups visited local hot spots such as Tembo Club and Maji Moto to explore the effects of globalization on local tourism and cuisine. Students were particularly interested in understanding how to balance increased tourism with current conservation efforts, and how Tanzanians use locally-sourced food to cater to the diverse palettes that come through Arusha. The rest of the groups traveled to Tarangire National Park with Ms. Jessica, Mr. Phil, and Mr. Frank. During this trip, students had the opportunity to meet and interview the Head Warden, Ms. Beatrice, to learn about the effects of climate change on the animals, efforts to help preserve and protect the park, and the challenges faced in these endeavors. To round out the experience, we camped overnight, went on several game drives, and dipped in the refreshing pool at Tarangire Safari Lodge! To demonstrate their learning, students planned and proposed their own projects, ranging from a series of fictional short stories to filmed documentaries.

Miss Jessica, Head of Languages

Yesterday, on the 8th of March we celebrated International Women’s Day. A group of MYP and DP students went to Schwari to have a painting workshop with Lillie, an artist from Tanzania. The students had a the chance to share a nice breakfast while painting about “the women they aspire to be” and sharing meaningful conversations.

On the photo, see MariAngeles and Charlene adding the final details to their chef d’œuvre!

Coralie, Head of Residential Life

We had a big week in the university and career guidance world!

D1 students are taking the exciting plunge into shaping their futures. The goal is to fully prepare them by the end of this school year, so they return in August for their D2 year with a clear understanding of their goals, options, application process, and with key components (like resumes and essays) already completed, reducing stress when applying later in 2025. Here are some highlights from this week:

Alumni Panel – Sunday evening we had a Zoom panel with four recent UWCEA alumni. They share about studying in Europe, studying in the US, taking a gap year, being rejected from one’s top choice, studying medicine and much, much more. Above is a picture of the panel.

How to Research Unis Workshop – Monday during LifeSkills class, students had the opportunity to attend a workshop on how to research colleges and universities without ever visiting a campus. Because most of our students won’t have the chance to visit the places they’re applying to until they go to attend, this workshop gave them tools to go beyond universities’ marketing to assess their options.

University Information Session – Monday after school we had a visit from the University of Tampa and Luther College, two Davis UWC Scholar partner schools. We are so lucky to have so many colleges and universities come to Tanzania specifically to visit with our students. The three D2 students in the picture below (from the left Candice Chan, U Tampa; Bjork Bjerrum; Leonora Olsen; Thais de Oliveira) have all been admitted into the University of Tampa and they shared the following about this visit: “As an international student, it can be very difficult to truly get a feel for a university from overseas, but meeting Candice from UTampa changed that. Speaking with her in person made the university feel far less intimidating, as it was easier to ask questions and receive responses that felt genuine and authentic, unlike the polished information you often find on a website. It wa a pleasure to give her a tour around campus and talk to her as we all feel much more comfortable with the idea of attending university now.”

Admissions Committee Workshop – Monday evening the visiting admissions representatives from Luther College and the University of Tampa ran a mock-admissions committee workshop where students were able to step into the shoes of an admissions officer to evaluate applications. There was lively debate about which students to admit and deny. More importantly, the students learned more about how the admissions process in the US works. D1 student Ernest Yeong shared this about the workshop, “The Mock Admissions Workshop we did was incredibly enlightening, as it gave us insider information on how college admissions really works. One thing I learned was that there are so many things that can be out of our control – does the college need a new volleyball player? Or someone for the band? We may never know. However, paradoxically, the workshop was a breath of relief, as it reminded us that all we can do is our part, and if we do that to the best of our ability, we can come out of the process with no regrets.”

Applying in the UK – On Thursday during DSS class an admissions officer from the University of Nottingham gave an interactive virtual presentation on applying to university in the UK. Students learned factors to use to differentiate their options, about how the application process works, key deadlines and more.

Image above: Our annual Careers Symposium was a great success this year. Well done Mr Kendis for organising such a helpful day.

Career Symposium: “My biggest takeaway from today’s symposium was that you do not have to be a scholar to become successful in life, rather it’s more about doing what you feel is best for you and not what others expect from you. Success comes in many different ways and it’s up to you to define your own.” This was the reflection from D1 Ryan Heron who, along with the rest of the students in M5 and D1, had the opportunity on Friday to hear from different professionals about their pathways, many of which were non-linear and included mistakes that ultimately turned out to be important milestones in finding what they really wanted to do for their careers. Nine different professionals shared their experiences with our students. Thank you to all of our presenters!

Our D2 students have already been through the plunge that our D1 students are in the midst of and they are nearing the end of the pool – while preparing for their final IB exams, they are also preparing for the big, exciting transition that is coming soon. Our D2s continue to get decisions from universities and most will have heard back from all of their unis in the next month or so. Many students are having meetings to compare their financial aid offers, discuss their options, make final decisions and some have begun applying for visas. It is an exciting time for our D2 students!

Adam, University and Guidance Counselor

Arusha’s Got Talent is back this week on Friday 14th March. This evening features performances from Secondary students, families and teachers and is a great way to share  your special talent or skill.

All are welcome on the night to cheer on your fellow students and friends.

The deadline for sign-up has been extended to Monday March 10th so please fill out the form and send it so we know what your act is and can approve. No acts will be accepted after sing up is closed.

AGT sign-up Form https://forms.gle/KNt58D8weXaSPLNG8

See you at 7:30pm in the Performance Area!

The AGT Organisers