Arusha Campus News – 8 Sep 2024

Graham, Purnansh, Nathan and Sammy (M4) in determined mood on the first day of their XP Bronze Adventure. The M4 students formed groups and were set the task of orienteering to a remote camp site where they were to set up camp and cook and feed themselves. On the second day they had to find their way back to school negotiating checkpoints along the way.

Wed 11th-15th Sept – OP Reefs Exploration

Mon 17-20th Sept – PYP MAP Testing

Mon 16th Sept – Maulid Holiday (Public Holiday School Closed)

Tue 17th Sept – NTSAA Primary Practice Swim Gala ay Kennedy House

Fri 20th Sept – 24 Hour Run

Mon 23rd-27th Sept – MYP MAP Testing

Finn, Jack, Martin, Tommy, Linnea and Zarine on the second day of their XP Bronze Adventure.

You will notice from the lengthy newsletter this week, that much has happened in the last seven days! I have been gallivanting around the Arusha farmland with our M4 Class on their XP Bronze Adventure. The students were tested on various skills including teamwork, perseverance and survival which are all skills that fit in with my own philosophy of what young people should be learning. In a world where more and more is done for us, either through technology or the employment of others to do things for us, it is enlightening to learn that we can navigate on foot with all our food and camping equipment on our backs. And when we find it difficult and want to give up, our teammates encourage us to keep going. All of our students managed it in the end, and they always do, but not without some self-examination and immense self-satisfaction at the end of it all.

One of the parental concerns on the adventure was that of safety. Understandably, students walking without an adult might be considered at greater risk than if an adult was always present. That’s why sensible route planning and sticking together is important. The safety of our students is always the most important consideration whenever we plan trips or activities. The training we recieve as teachers reinforces that consideration over and over again. 

Whilst on the subject of safety, we have been trying to make sure all cars have a UWC Car Sticker on display in the windscreen/windshield. If you drive your car to school, please ensure that your car has a sticker as we will be asking all cars without stickers to stay outside the main gate.

I hope you enjoy the read and see you tomorrow!

Phil

The P6 class (above) has been experimenting with perspective drawings.

Children come with a whole variety of different perspectives by drawing on personal experiences and understandings

Perspective is the ability to understand a situation or interpret information from another person’s point of view. It’s a skill that begins developing in early childhood and continues to grow into adolescence and beyond. It’s an important part of a childs’ social-emotional development, and building this skill helps children show empathy and compassion towards others. Strong perspective abilities lead to improved relationships and better problem-solving skills, too.

Empowering children how to solve problems on their own with peaceful conflict resolution skills is an important and much-needed life-skill. We can improve our perceptions of others by developing empathetic listening skills, becoming aware of stereotypes and predudice and engaging in self-reflection.

Another example of perspective is the representation of objects in three-dimensional space on a two dimensional surface of a picture. The P6 class has been experimenting with perspective drawings.

Amanda Bowen, Head of Primary Years Programme

P1/2’s (above) have been reading a funny book called Octopus Socktopus by Nick Sharrat and made art to go along with it. They also wrote descriptive captions about their character.

Hanna Salma (M1) is captured engrossed in her reading!

We love it when our students love learning! Our M1 English teacher, Ms Hilary, seems to have instilled a love for reading as her students can be found engrossed in their books. Pictured is Hanna-Salma walking around campus while reading.

Well done to all M4 students in completing their XP bronze trip!

M5 students have really started their Personal Project journey as they submitted their learning and product goals this week. Based on the goals they set for themselves, teacher supervisors will be assigned and a first meeting will take place soon to discuss the student’s plan.

Miss Anoek, MYP Co-ordinator

P4 students learned about string instruments this last week and here they are (above) making their own guitars from a box, rubber bands and tissue roll.

Here above, M3 students perform a conversation between the Creature and his Creator, Frankenstein.

M3 have been reading a play-script version of ‘Frankenstein’. This week they used a technique called forum theatre to explore the performance aspect of key moments in the play. In forum theatre, the spectators become spect-actors. In other words, at any time an audience member can make a suggestion about how a character should speak, move or react. This allows students to consider performance and impact on the audience, as well as the choices a writer makes to convey their ideas. These are vital skills to develop for analysis of literature and language.

Miss Hilary, M3 English

We have had a busy and exciting few weeks as D1s settled into their subjects and have signed up to take part in the plethora of CCAs on offer. Taking part in the Pamoja walk has been a highlight as many of them got the first opportunity to really explore Tanzania. The D2s (pictured above) are working hard on the EEs and meeting IA deadlines as their final year is fully underway. Their highlight was the Collaborative Science Project where they explored the theme “Trash to Treasure”. This involved two full days where they applied all of the sciences into a project under the theme and presented to their fellow students. Some inventive and creative ideas, students were able to apply all the sciences to show how they often overlap into a final product. D1s can think about what they enjoyed about these projects as they will be presenting this time next year.

Miss Jessica, DP Co-ordinator

M2 (above) work on posters that illustrate strategies to make the most of your own learning style.

M1 Transition Care
Our M1 students have been exploring various ways to embrace change. This week, they took the time to reflect on their journey in the MYP and identified some common challenges, as well as triumphs. These ranged from navigating between classes and keeping up with the different day rotation calendar to making friends. Some of their highlights included playing with older students, becoming more responsible, and having different teachers in a ‘faster moving’ school day. Well done M1 students, for keeping a positive outlook on your new journey.

M2. Developing learning skills
M2 students are on a journey of self-discovery and academic growth. They are exploring their values, setting learning goals, and developing the essential study skills. This includes learning about organisation, time management, and goal-setting. This week, they focused on understanding their different learning styles and how to tailor their learning approaches accordingly. They also designed creative posters with strategies that they can apply to their learning.

M3. Digital Citizenship
The M3s are navigating the digital world and have been exploring the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence (AI). This week, they applied their ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills to analyse the complexities of plagiarism in the context of AI-generated content for school work. Working in groups, they researched, discussed, and presented their findings, sharing some interesting insights on the topic. Our M3 students will continue to work on understanding AIs further to identify the appropriate use of these tools.

M3 (below) learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on plagiarism.

Nasieku and Sanaa, above, create a mind map of their ideas on ‘Learning how to Learn’ in the Arts

This week M5 Visual Arts and Music Students worked together in light of their upcoming E-portfolio work. The students revisited and understood the ATL skills in a session called “Learn how to learn”. They discussed how these skills were applicable in the M5 Visual/Performing Art tasks.

Miss Sarah, M5 Music

Pictured above are D1 Business Management students working on a tri dominoes game on forms of business organisations. They had 24 tablets to coherently fix on a hexagonal pattern.

Mr Andrew, Business and Economics

It’s a very high pressure time for D2 students so it is really pleasing to see how many of them are willing to take 10 or 15 minutes out of their work, leadership responsibilities or other tasks to have some simple, silly, competitive fun. Here, pictured above, the teams are trying to communicate a drawing to the person in front simply by drawing on the back of the person in front of them. There were some truly surprising masterpieces produced!

Mr Airdrie, Mathematics

A popular CCA with our Diploma students (see some students above) is to go to Loskito School, near Arusha, to teach English and play sports with the students there. The Loskito students look forward to our visits and our students gain so much from being in a rural school for a moment, and seeing another aspect of Tanzanian life. Here, students practice giving instructions to their peers in preparation for our first visit to the school in two weeks’ time.

Miss Hilary, CAS Co-coordinator

Take a look at our amazing students hard at work during Mary Poppins rehearsals (see image above)! Their energy, passion, and commitment to bringing this story to life is truly inspiring. Every line, every dance step, and every song comes with hours of practice and dedication. Parents, we can’t thank you enough for your continued support—please take a moment to give your young stars a pat on the back for the incredible effort they’re putting in. We can’t wait for you to see the magic they’re creating on stage!

Mr Ronald Balugiire, Head of Arts

The Student Government at UWC East Africa – Arusha Campus serves as the voice of the student body, promoting democratic participation and leadership among students. Led by Co-Presidents Namara and Adam, the government meets and passes on information from the various committees and initiatives on Campus. Leonora represents the Food Committee, Zoya represents the Sustainability Committee, and Thaís represents Young Women’s Empowerment. Student Media is represented by KB, while Boma Leaders; Ilse (Acacia), Ella (Jacaranda), and Elise (Baobab) represent their respective residential houses. Leonora also takes on the role of Secretary, ensuring organized communication and smooth operations. Together, they work closely with faculty to address student concerns, foster inclusivity, and drive positive change within the school community.

Namara and Adam, Student Government Co-presidents

D2 University Essay Workshop

This week our D2 students from both campuses had individual meetings on Zoom with representatives from 44 universities in the UK, Switzerland, the US and more. Many of the universities represented were Davis UWC Scholars partner universities https://www.davisuwcscholars.org. Students met 1:1 with an admissions representative to get feedback on a draft of an essay that will be used to apply to universities. Here are a few reflections that students shared after their meetings:

“She was super kind, giving me both positive and negative feedback in a constructive way. I actually became a bit more confident in my essay and it helped me a lot in improving it. I learned more about how everything in terms of admissions works and why some of my writing may seem confusing to an outsider.”
“This meeting was beneficial as it gave me a rough idea of how the future interviews would go and how to present myself. It was also motivational as the representative was very nice and friendly, making the meeting feel relaxed and smooth. In this process, I learned what admission representatives are looking for and what I could do to keep a good impression and increase the chances of my admission. Overall, I found it encouraging because I was initially tense about how the meeting would go and after having it, I gained confidence in presenting myself well.”
“The rep was extremely nice, and very engaging. There was a lot of opportunity to discuss the essay as well as my supplemental essays. The feedback was also extremely helpful as the information that she gave was not offensive but suggestive. I learned about the University of Richmond as well and it gave me another university to consider in my list as it has a bunch of characteristics that I find intriguing. Overall, the representative made the whole process run smoothly and my university knowledge grew.”

St. Lawrence University Visit to UWCEA

On Wednesday, August 28, Mr. Musa Khalidi, the Executive Director of International Admissions at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York visited both of our campuses. Mr. Khalidi shared so much wisdom with our students – about how to approach the college search, how to ask questions that really matter, the value of a liberal arts education and so much more. St. Lawrence University is one of the Davis UWC Scholars https://www.davisuwcscholars.org partner universities.

Mr Kendis, University and Guidance Counselor

This Sunday morning, I was driving my car to school when I saw a trail of athletic cyclists strung out ahead of me. Bringing up the rear was Mr Stephane and his team of enthusiastic cyclists. Here they are (pictured above) as they set off from the car park.

Hello everyone,

After a year’s hiatus, UWCEA Model United Nations is back!

Whether you’re a debate pro or totally new to the game, Model UN is YOUR chance to dive into global issues, represent a country (or even a person), and collaborate with friends from our school and beyond to make a difference! It’s a perfect blend of creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork, all wrapped up in one exciting experience!

Here are the details below:
> Time: Refer to the schedule here!
> Dates: 13th September (Friday) to 15th September (Sunday) 2024
> Venue: UWC East Africa (Arusha Campus) — Dodoma Road, 23206 Kisongo, Arusha
> Fees: Waived for residential students; 22,000 TSH for day students! – Payment upon registration confirmation!

So, are you ready to step into the shoes of world leaders and make some waves? If you’re up for the challenge, sign up now at https://BIT.LY/UWCEAMUN24. We can’t wait to see you bring your unique flair to the MUN stage!

Let’s make this year’s MUN unforgettable!

MUN organizations team

 AISA (Association of International Schools in Africa) is an organization dedicated to offering professional development and support to international schools across Africa. It plays a vital role in connecting educators, sharing best practices, and providing resources that enhance the learning experiences within our schools.

We are thrilled to announce that the 2024 AISA Conference will be held from 31 October to 03 November 2024 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in South Africa. This prestigious event offers an incredible opportunity for our school community at UWCEA to connect with leading experts, educators, and international schools across the continent.

As proud members of AISA, this conference will allow our staff to engage in high-level professional development, exchange innovative ideas, and explore new strategies that directly benefit the work we do at UWCEA. The insights gained will help strengthen our commitment to delivering quality education and fostering global-mindedness in our students.

Stay tuned for more updates and highlights from this exciting event, and let’s continue to make the most of our partnership with AISA!

William Mmassy, AISA representative, UWCEA

Ladies and gentlemen, a night of amazement and astonishing entertainment awaits!

On Friday , 27th of September, family and friends of UWCEA Arusha Campus are invited to the awaited Arusha’s Got Talent! Whether it is to encourage a loved one or enjoy a night of surprise, the numerous skills of our students will certainly blow you away. Our artists will eagerly wait for you at 19h30 in the PA. Do not miss out!

For students, a google form will be sent to all students (and parents) of MYP and DP in the coming days for sign up of your individual/group acts.

If you have any questions you can reach out to me,

Marie-Félix, D2
Arusha’s Got Talent Organiser

mariefelixp25@uwcea.org