Arusha Campus News – 12 Jun 2022

This week we hosted a Cheese and Wine evening at Arusha Campus. A lovely event which was enjoyed my many parents and teachers from all three international schools in Arusha.

A hefty thank you to the parents who helped organise the Cheese and Wine evening this week and especially to Maral and Nathalie and Muna who turned our Performance Area into the most amazing chic lounge. Thank you ladies.

In this newsletter, we continue to introduce some more of the new teachers that will be joining us next year. Recruitment of teachers is perhaps one of the hardest, and yet most enjoyable, parts of my job. We try our best to recruit the best teachers for the job of course but it is also important that the ‘fit’ between teacher and school is right. We want new teachers to be able to thrive and grow and enjoy Arusha every bit as much as we want them to enhance our teaching establishment. A teacher who is happy here can contribute so much more than one who is unhappy. Two teachers who were clearly happy here once have decided to come back to work for us again – welcome back to Miss Cassandra (College Counselor) and to Mr Olivier (Head of Experiential Learning). Teachers wanting to come back is surely a good sign!

We often talk about the diverse nature of our student body as this is one of our defining features, but we don’t so often recognise the diversity of our teaching staff. This year our new teacher recruits are  coming from Canada, USA, Spain, UK, Ukraine, Japan and South Africa!

On Friday this week, everyone in Arusha is invited to the Party with a Purpose. This annual fundraising dinner provides much needed funds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the ALMC hospital. I visited the unit on Thursday and was privileged to see tiny, tiny babies breathing, feeding and cuddling their mums in spite of the fact that some of them were delivered after just 24 weeks! As Tanzania looks ahead to the prospect of a doubling of its population by 2050, this will inevitably put pressure on the country’s resources including its natural environment. However, if the work of neonatal health care workers can be supported, more babies will survive and amazingly the birth rate will likely fall. It may sound counter intuitive but case studies, such as the story of birth rate changes in Bangladesh, prove that decreased baby mortality actually has the effect of slowing birth rates. So, in a roundabout way, conservationists all around Tanzania have a vested interest in supporting the Party with a Purpose! Come along, tickets are available from Caroline at Main Reception.

Have a super last week of School!

Phil

Friday 17th June – Last day of the year

Olivia and Julieta prepare to explain their ToK Question on Friday afternoon

While the year is quickly drawing to a close, that does not mean it’s been a quiet week!

Value #3 – A holistic and diverse portfolio of learning experiences

On Tuesday during Mentor time, Secondary students were asked to share their thoughts on action items for our new Strategic Plan. They came up with some great ideas and many expressed an interest in continuing to be a part of the process. We have some real changemakers in this school! A sample of their suggestions include:
Organise discussions with guiding questions about controversial topics in a safe environment
School farm for students and canteen which could be counted as a service
Match current students with alumni that go/went to that university/programme
Have more option for language classes

Value #1 – A safe, collaborative, and caring community
Value #2 – A feeling of belonging, acceptance, and tolerance
Value #10 – The happiness and well-being of our community

On Wednesday, I traveled to Moshi with Ms. Angela to meet with several members of the Moshi staff for our first ARDEI committee meeting. ARDEI stands for Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and while we are just starting this journey it is important to remember that we build a path by walking it. All members of our community can benefit from an increased focus on ARDEI and how we can work together to make our community more welcoming and inclusive. This work is intrinsic to who we strive to be at UWC and couldn’t be more important. In the new school year, I’m certain you will hear more about this committee and I hope you will want to be a part of it!

Value #4 – An education in a global context that promotes an appreciation and understanding of multiple perspectives and interdependence of individuals, societies, and environments
Value #5 – Innovation over perfection within a supportive community where students are motivated to embrace personal challenge and reflection

I’m sure that anyone who attended the TOK exhibition on Friday was very impressed with the variety of objects presented and the different ways students connected these objects to the discussion prompts. I saw everything from an engine that a student dismantled when they were only 7 years old, to a bucket of KFC, to the pyramids of Egypt. The D1s were enthusiastic about sharing their ideas and did a great job explaining some pretty complex ideas.

And let’s not forget the fabulous Wine and Cheese fundraiser put on by the PTA on Thursday night! Our simple Performance Area sure looks beautiful with some fairy lights. There was a great turnout, some amazing new wines to sample, and some delicious cheeses. Great job everyone!

One more week!

Ms. Christy

Friday’s Share Time was presented by EC1 and EC2 and was a hoot! Pictured above are the weekly Learner Profile award recipients

I am so proud of our students’ commitment to learning not only in the classroom but out and about too. This week some of the students went to UWC Moshi to play rugby against other schools and on Friday other students went to Kennedy House for Cross Country.

The P3 students had an opportunity to speak French with the D1 French Ab Initio students at the fantastic A Drop of Emotion exhibition at the Alliance Francaise. The P6’s had dinner out after visiting the exhibition too.

The Ec’s showed there talents during Share Time on Friday through the story Farmer Duck and a Swahili play and song.

Remember we have our PYP Play on Tuesday 14th June at 1.30pm.

Have a great last week.

Amanda

On Wednesday, the P3 and the D1 French Ab Initio went to Alliance Française to see the exhibition from Emmanuel Volant. It was a beautiful exhibition and everyone had a lot of fun. Before eating our picnic all together, we had one first activity where D1s and P3s were paired up and had to recreate one of the pieces of art : P3 had to draw what they saw, while D1 had to write a short text matching the picture. After lunch, D1s and P3s share a reading time together as you can see in the pictures. It was a lovely time !

Miss Coralie

Carice, Tasman and Vedant get to grips with a science experiment on their first day in MYP earlier this week.

The Under 19 team prepare to kick off their opening match against the Leopards of Moshi. A thrilling game which ended up with a score of 3-2 in favour of Arusha

On Saturday three teams travelled the short distance to St Constantine’s School to take part in the NTSAA Inter School’s touch rugby tournament. All three of our teams reached the semi final stage but unfortunately all succumbed to defeat at this stage. 

The U7, U9, U11 Cross Country runners went to Kennedy House (see above) to compete in the NTSAA Junior Tournament. Miss Carmen and Mr Gregory came back to school bursting with pride at the marvellous individual performances. Everyone excelled!

Chloe, Lulu and Zaza are all smiles after having finished their cross country (below)

Juan, originally from Spain, is a passionate Maths teacher. Here he is in the common room of a students´ dorm. He sometimes creates such engaging lessons that attract the attention of all pupils, kittens included! Juan is coming with his partner Kaya (see below)

Kaya is from Japan and teaches languages. Wherever she goes, she likes learning new things such as local recipes, dances… Here she is mastering the art of espresso coffee in Granada though she is a tea person.

Roos and Anuja (D1) prepare to speak about their ToK Objects

Our final assembly for this academic year is just around the corner but nevertheless, the D1 students’ last two weeks of school have been packed with key events for the IB Diploma. As well as the Extended Essay mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the students have completed their TOK exhibition this Friday, which involves students choosing 3 objects and one of the 35 IA prompts to write a 950 words commentary. . During the exhibition, they get the opportunity to present their objects and to demonstrate how TOK manifests in the real world.

Students are able to pick a prompt amongst some of the following examples:
• What counts as knowledge?
• Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?
• What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?
• On what grounds might we doubt a claim?
• What counts as good evidence for a claim?
• How does the way that we organize or classify knowledge affect what we know?
• What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?
• To what extent is certainty attainable?
• Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
• What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?
• Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?
• Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?
• How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?
• How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?
• In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?

The objects chosen by the students for their exhibition:

• should have a specific real-world context, and not be generic examples of something
• can be physical or digital – such as a photograph of an object, or a Tweet posted by a person
• can be something students have created, but not for the exhibition
• should have a clear reference to their provenance

This year again, we saw a variety of objects chosen by the students, such as a personal photo, a specific book, a bottle of olive oil, a malaria test, the first printing press, a monument, a piece of jewelry, a set of cards….with which the students have a personal connection.
In September, they will tackle the last assessment for TOK, the essay, following the publication of 6 Titles by the IB.

Until then, they will all enjoy a well-deserved summer break…with a bit of work involved!

Nathalie

IBDP Co-ordinator

I’m Leah from London, but also half french! I take after my starsign of being a Leo and love adventures and trying out new hobbies! You will find me mostly laughing and enjoying myself!

My name is Cassandra Ford and I am excited to return to Tanzania in the role of College Counselor. Having previously served the Arusha campus from afar while based on the Moshi campus, I am looking forward to working directly with the Arusha students and staff after spending a year back home in the US with my sons Aaron (biological) and BJ (son of the heart).

I discovered a love of scuba diving while in Tanzania during the start of COVID, and look forward to exploring more of the gorgeous ocean upon my return. My Swahili needs some serious work, but I am determined to learn the language this time!

Asante sana na siku njema!

Olivier will already be known to many as he only left us two years ago to gain some experience at UWC Thailand. Here he is pictured the other day having cycled from Montreal to Times Square in New York! With such energy he will be the ideal person to lead our Experiential Learning Programme. Welcome back Oli!

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