Arusha Campus News – 12 Mar 2023

This week the PTA of Arusha Campus organised the most splendid of evenings. An adult cheese and wine evening with the whole Arusha community invited. All proceeds from the event were collected and will be sent to the Turkey/Syria Earthquake Appeal Fund.

We received a shipment of educational supplies earlier this week and Nicolene (P6) was delighted to see that the new hockey goalkeepers outfit had arrived! 

This week I joined Anna and Bob and the Governing Board for a retreat in Moshi. We were able to reflect on the year completed and look forward to the excitement of the twelve months ahead of us. For me one of the most heartening accomplishments was the news that UWC East Africa is one of the most attractive options for would be UWC applicants. After just three years as a UWC we are now inundated by applicants who place our college at the top of their list! 

We worked more on our School Strategic Plan. This is a plan made up of seven goals.

Our Education

Our Planet

Our Values

Our Community

Our People

Our Heritage

Our Relationships

We are putting the finishing touches to a presentation document for everyone to see. The plan is an action plan that will run from 2023-2028. The contents have been drawn from feedback gathered from all stakholders at the school including parents, students, employees and alumni.

Lots of thank yous are required this week for all our sports coaches and students who have been toiling away in the heat. Well done to our U9 and U11 hockey players with Mr Jonny, Joris and Katy Hacias who played at SCIS yesterday, while Mr Adam’s U13 Basketballers played at St Judes. Earlier in the week Mr Adam’s U19 ladies basketball played St Jude’s before the U19 boys played Arusha Meru. As if that wasn’t enough our U15 girls footballers continued their undefeated record against St Jude’s too! Phew!

I wish everyone a pleasant weekend

Phil

Look at what P4/5 choose to do under the African Sky? Wallow in the Harrison’s Farm dam of course!

Under the African Sky by Jaro Boerema

Under the African sky, we went hiking up the steep, slippery crater to discover a sleeping volcano.
Under the African sky, we dug in a river bed with our hands to find clean, shining water.
Under the African sky, we petted cute, playful dogs.
Under the African sky, we saw magnificent solar panels.
Under the African sky, we watched spectacular giraffes.
Under the African sky, we learned that dams hold soil and water.
Under the African sky, we swam in a muddy lake.
Under the African sky, I most enjoyed looking up and seeing the beautiful nighttime stars.

Amanda, PYP Co-ordinator

EC2 painted Miss Glory! Look how amazing she looks in her stripes and checks!

I have mine, have you got yours! Sam van der Goot powers down the pool for the Rhinos sporting his purple swim cap!

As we expand our Swimming Team with the swimming club we continue to train as a school and we look forward to hosting out annual NTSAA Primary and Secondary Swimming Galas next week.

I already sent out a form for parents to order a UWCEA swim cap and I am attaching the link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqdlkBzedvOh1u-wSaDUHyNl2cd2MqpN4wNdb72rLFnnIdgQ/viewform

 in case you missed it. Please be aware that they are being made in the UK so it will take a few weeks to get them here.

Miss Caitrin, Head of PE

In Art (above), we are huge fans of taking our learning and drawing into the outdoors! This week we have been working on our observational drawing skills by drawing an egg and really focusing on shadows and tones. M1’s with Miss Leah have created some wonderful art this quarter and are excited to show it off during our school art exhibition!

Best of luck to our M5 class as they start their mock exams on Monday! It will be a busy week as students will take their English Language & Literature, Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities, French Language Acquisition and Interdisciplinary on-screen exams. In addition, there will also be a school-based Swahili mock exam and mock orals in Swahili and French. The mock exams will give students an opportunity to experience what their final MYP exams will be like.

There are no normal MYP lessons on Friday 17 March. Instead we expect students and parents to join us for the M1-M4 learning showcases from 8-11am. During this morning, parents will follow their child from class to class. In each class, students have prepared an interactive presentation showcasing the highlights of their learning so far. M1-4 students will go home at 11am on this day.

M5 students have scheduled individual slots with their mentor, Ms Jessica, during the week for their student-led conferences to showcase and reflect on their learning.

Anoek, MYP Co-ordinator

Diploma students enjoy a moment of relaxation on the recent Plains Level 5 trip to Ol Karien Gorge.

It is an extremely busy term for both the D2 students and their teachers. Teachers have just finished marking the mocks, and are now starting to upload and submit internal assessment marks and internal assessment samples for each subject to be moderated by the IB. The D2 are covering the last unit of the syllabi in class or in some cases have already started revision for the examination.

The last key dates for the D2 students:

20-24th March: final English B, French B, French Ab initio and Swahili Ab initio orals
30th March: Arts Festival including the D2 Visual Art exhibition
21st April: D2 last day of school
28th April-18th May: IB Diploma examinations
20th May: Graduation

The D1 students are getting ready for their Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the internally assessed component of the course, which will take place on the 27th March after school. The exhibition will be advertised in the next newsletter and we hope to see some members of the community attend to listen and give some feedback to the students on the link they established between their 3 objects and the prompt they have chosen. Most of the D1s have now picked a subject and been assigned a supervisor for their Extended Essay. They are now browsing resources on the topic of their choice to finalize their research question.

3 more weeks before the spring break, time is flying!

Nathalie, DP Co-ordinator

We are excited to announce the upcoming chess tournament on the 18th and 19th of March! Open to all students, parents and staff members, this chess competition will be an unforgettable experience. It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your chess skills and compete against others, with unique activities to make chess more fun than ever. Whether you’re a seasoned chess player or just starting out, this tournament has something for everyone.

For DP students and staff from Arusha Campus, we are offering accommodation and food at Moshi Campus. PYP and MYP students and parents will be required to find their own accommodation.
If enough students from primary sign up, we will be offering a separate primary section within the tournament.

To sign up for the tournament, please use the following link:
https://forms.gle/fJ1LvDaSum4V5pWY7

For any questions, feel free to email us at jonatanc23@uwcea.org

Don’t miss the opportunity to be in the biggest chess tournament this school has ever seen. We look forward to seeing you on the 18th and 19th of March!

Juan Carlos, Kasparas & Jonatan

REMINDER – Career Expert Volunteers Needed

UWC East Africa Careers Symposium: Building 21st Century Skills

On the Arusha campus, the events will include:

Virtual Sessions – 29 March
7:30-9:00 PM EAT

In-Person Arusha Sessions – 30 March
7:30-10:00 AM EAT

If you would be willing to share your expertise with future leaders regarding the skills needed to pursue their career interests, please use this link to sign up as a volunteer: https://forms.gle/uhnwVmniaqUXdiDd8

Your input is being sought by the Council of International Schools (CIS – who completed an accreditation review of our school last year). They would like to hear from you about the transition process your child is about to embark on as they leave secondary school and move onto college/university. They are seeking to understand how schools, universities and parents can best support international school students as they move from secondary school to university.

Link to survey (available in multiple languages): https://survey.cois.org/s3/CIS-Summit-Working-Group-Survey-International-Student-Transitions-for-parents

Please complete this survey by 15 March 2023. It will take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Our D2 Students are pondering university offers and opportunities.

Thriving Through the Application Decision Season

So good to have current students (and recent graduates) receiving offers of admission and scholarships/grants that currently total more than $3 million USD. It is a time of celebration, but also continues to bring higher levels of stress, which is felt throughout the community in a variety of ways. During a recent Life Skills class, D2 students reflected on how they managed stress during the IBDP Mock Exams, and shared strategies as they reflected on what worked as well as what they will do differently. The conversations were full of compassion for one another and lots of ideas on how to prepare for the actual exams, as well as dealing with other stressors that life will throw at us. With more students receiving offers each week, and dealing with financial aid and Visa issues, the challenges seem never ending, but their resolve is steadfast.

We know that families are constantly seeking ways to support their children, especially through challenging times. Please see the resource below for ideas that you can implement to ensure your child is able to thrive now, and in the future.

Protecting Mental Health in the Uni Process: https://goop.com/wellness/mindfulness/how-to-protect-kids-mental-health-during-college-admissions/

Virtual Fairs Coming Your Way (see advertising flyer below)

Hopefully all of the M4-D2 families who would like access to Maia Learning (https://www.maialearning.com) have visited the site to become familiar with the resources available.  Two of the assignments on the students’ dashboard are related to upcoming virtual fairs. These are excellent opportunities for students to familiarize themselves with a wide variety of institutions from the comfort of their own home. In addition, parents can join them in the exploration process, and begin to learn how to navigate conversations with admissions representatives. Please take a look at the fair registration sites to learn more, and begin your game plan for the events by reviewing the information attached to their Dashboard task and this article:

https://gotocollegefairs.com/5-reasons-your-student-should-be-attending-a-virtual-college-fair-2/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2023-03-01&utm_term=button-5-Reasons-Your-Student-Should-Be-Attending-a-Virtual-College-Fair&utm_content=counselor

UPCOMING College and University Events

11 March: 7:30-12:30 AM EAT SAT in Moshi (See https://uwcea.org/tests for more information about additional college entrance tests this semester)

19 March: 8PM-1AM EAT NACAC International virtual fair (Registration link: https://www.nacacattend.org/23VirtualMar19)

21 March: 1-4 PM EAT CIS University Exploration Day – Africa (Registration link: https://cis.swoogo.com/africa2023)
21 March: 2-5 PM EAT University of Chicago in person visit
23 March: 7:30-8:30 PM EAT D1 Parent/Guardian Presentation: Preparing for the College Application Process
29 March: 7:30-9:00 PM EAT 21st Century Skills symposium – virtual program
30 March: 7:30-10:00 AM EAT 21 Century Skills symposium – Arusha campus (with special guest, Jon Lund from Luther College (Davis UWC Partner Institution and financial aid expert)

Enjoy a wonderful weekend!

Cassandra Ford
College and Career Counselor
cassandraford@uwcea.org

Dear All,

After some issues were taken care of, we’ve postponed the date of the tournament to the 25th of March.

Below are what you need to know;
1- The maximum number of teams that can participate in this tournament is 8 teams
2- We will be sending out another email when all the slots for the teams are full.
3- The payment can be either made at UWCEA campus at the reception or please find Mahen or SeunGyu
4- Payment must be made as a full team, not as an individual.

Also in order to make the signup more straightforward, there is a QR code on the poster for you to scan.

Thank you and please sign up.

Arusha Campus Interact Club