As we look at the start of December and the end of the semester there are still a few items on the calendar. If you are local, please see below for the events in both Moshi and Arusha. We are looking forward to the arts presentations on both campuses.
Some general announcements for parents:
Wednesday December 9th, is Independence Day, so note there are no classes on this day.
Face to face conferences will be in the last week of school, signup emails will go out to parents in the next week. If you are further away, and cannot meet teachers on this day please email the teacher(s) directly to set up a convenient Zoom conference.
In the last week we will also be issuing reports for students in EC to D1 through ManageBac, so if you do not have a parent login, please contact Ms Grace and she can help you with this.
Parents of residential students are reminded to provide travel details to the residential parent so that we can plan transport to the airport. Please also remember to fill in the Google Form sent out if a COVID test is needed to travel.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Upcoming
Evening of the Arts
Arusha Fair
Hairspray at Arusha Campus
Ben’s Corner
Reflection is an integral part of all three programmes of the IB curriculum. Indeed, it is listed as one of the attributes of the Learner Profile, the set of ten attributes, hopefully, valued by all IB World Schools as ways to help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities. The definition for the Reflective attribute is:
“We thoughtfully consider the world and our ideas and experiences. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.”
Many IB students will roll their eyes whenever the teacher mentions the word reflection. However, it is an absolutely integral part of learning and something we should all stop and consider at pertinent times…like the end of a semester.
Looking back over the last fifteen weeks, we have so much to be thankful for, not least the fact that we have completed a semester of face-to-face learning, scattered with memorable experiences along the way, with OP adventures, Sports Weekend, class trips, cultural celebrations, performances and so forth…and there is yet more to come over an action packed final two weeks before the break.
So, in between all the excitement of the end of semester happenings, I task you with finding a moment to take stock and look back on the last few months. For some of you, your first semester as part of the UWC East Africa community. It is, arguably, human nature to compare and contrast your own experiences with other people in different places. Many people fall victim to this on social media, forgetting that, in reality, you are comparing your day-to-day activities with everyone else’s highlight reel.
Over the past nine months, we have been swamped with a relentless newsfeed as the world reels in response to the pandemic and political and social movements across the globe. My biggest personal reflection from Semester 1 is the power of appreciating what you have and focusing on that as, after all, your focus determines your reality.
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
MUN
Twelve tenacious delegates will be having their first Mock East African Model United Nations on the 28th of November, where they will be challenged to debate resolutions on global crises. Although the debate will be online this year, the group has trained very hard these past months, becoming confident with their public speaking, U.N. terminology, all while finding the joy in adopting international perspectives when debating. Furthermore, the group has even written their own resolutions based on their interests and relative United Nations Committee, such as Human Rights, Ecology, Economic/Political. For instance, one of the resolutions written includes “Implementing a Two Week Pilot Program to Provide Safe and Secure Voting in Ethnic Regions Affected by Unrest and Armed conflict, namely Rakhine [Arakan], Kachin, Mon, Shan, and Bago Regions through the Provision of Law Enforcement and Online Alternatives.”
We look forward to exchanging cross-cultural discussions and debating our resolutions with approximately 700 students that share the same passion for M.U.N.
From the Counselor
Attitude of Gratitude
With the world continuing to create uncertainty and worry for so many, it has not escaped our small community. Many of the students have been contemplating the challenges of traveling outside of Tanzania as the pandemic continues to impact many parts of the world, and there are those who are resigned to the fact that they will not have an opportunity to see their loved ones during this break. These circumstances have led to students responding in a variety of ways to the lack of control they feel, and the possibility of not being able to enjoy certain traditions in the same way. For this, we offer a simple solution, practice the attitude of gratitude.
Gratitude continues to be highlighted as one of the most basic elements of a rewarding and resilient life. The more effort that is put into reflecting on what you are grateful for, the less time is spent focusing on the aspects of life that are not as enjoyable. In this article not only does the author emphasize the health benefits of infusing more gratitude into your life, but there is also a challenge for young people to think about ways that their lives have been enhanced by expressing and receiving genuine appreciation. Some of our students have created gratitude journals, while others have spent time throughout the semester writing notes of appreciation to their peers and teachers. It truly is the little things that mean a lot, as a little appreciation can go a long way. Try practicing some today! If you need some ideas, we are thankful to Ms. Brunt for sharing this list of 17 creative ideas to get you started.
On the university side, we are extremely grateful for all of the institutions from around the world who have presented to our students throughout the month of November. We have enjoyed a global collegiate experience, and appreciate the multitude of options that have been presented to students without having to leave campus. Some of the presenters were up at extremely early hours of the day in order to engage with our students. We started off in the US and ended this week in Africa with the African Leadership University. Although we are scaling back for the end of the year, there are still a few opportunities to participate in upcoming events to help with the post-secondary decision making process. Please take a moment to review some of the upcoming events on this link, and continue to explore the information that institutions are making abundantly available via their websites and social media.
One last note of gratitude is for the grassroots initiative put forth by a growing group of US colleges and universities. If the US is on your radar for international study, please be sure to take a look at the new scholarship program called #YouAreWelcomeHere. This is an effort to show international students just how much they are appreciated on the campuses of US institutions. Consider attending an institution where you will be welcomed as an asset to the community, while receiving scholarship funding throughout your educational journey.
Wishing you a weekend of enjoying all that you have to be thankful for.
Asante sana na wekiendi njema,
UWCEA School Counseling Team
MYP News
As we finish off the semester these are a few important dates for MYP families and students to remember:
Wednesday December 2nd Evening of the arts and Market- MYP 1-3 drama performing 4-6pm
Friday December 4th MYP POOL PARTY! 2-6 pm with BBQ dinner provided at 5
Report cards issued on Thursday December 10th
In person conferences on Friday December 11th
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Jeanne Aman – MYP Coordinator
Pamoja Tunaweza
WE’RE HAVING A HOLIDAY CLOTHING DRIVE!!! Here is a convenient way to get rid of any unwanted clothing. Please help us by contributing to this cause. This is the perfect chance for each and every one of you to give back to your community. You can donate your unwanted clothing by giving it to your residential parent, taking it to the donation area outside the staffroom, and/or taking it to the reception. All these clothes will be donated to the Pamoja Tunaweza Boys and Girls. Your efforts to change these children’s lives will not go unnoticed.
Sports Update
Well what a fantastic weekend of sport was had by all, particularly the adults as we relished being able to play and not having to run from event to event every 25 minutes with our teams. Our modified 20th UWCEA Sports Weekend was a huge success, with all students getting plenty of game time, our usual Sunday morning limping and aches and pains of sports weekend were there, which is great as it means we have pushed and tested our bodies to the limit.
This year Badminton was added, and Moshi had a huge showing for this as was reflected in most of the individual sports as Moshi took out the individual categories 16 to 7 over our Arusha Campus. Arusha, however, showed great teamwork in the all the team sports and came out on top with 18 category wins to 10. Leaving the scores for the weekend 25 wins to Arusha and 26 wins to Moshi. Moshi also dominated in the pool taking the glory in the swim Gala, helped greatly by their dominant over 20s category. Most importantly though was great sportsmanship by both campuses over the weekend. However in the end, Moshi retained the Faith Yona Sportsmanship Award this year. Go Leopards.
A huge thank you to all the staff, community members and Arusha staff who helped set up, coach, score, referee, time, play and cheer on our students it could not have been a success with everyone’s efforts.
A number of sports will take a break now until after the Christmas break, please have your children communicate with their coaches to see if they will be training next week. Watch this space for information about sports plans for next semester. We are currently looking at which sports will be offered and in Q3 & 4.
Tennis with Coach Charles Tennis with Coach Charles continues with him offering private and/or group lessons Wednesdays at 3:30pm to 4:30pm and Saturdays from 9.30am to 11.30am. Please contact Coach Charles at the courts at the above-mentioned times or call/message on 0710606766.
PYP Saturday Soccer Saturday Soccer this Saturday with Mr T and several of our skilled M5, D1 & D2 students helping to run the club. It kicks off at 9am and finishes at 10.30am just in time for the PYP swim squad to get their laps in.
Go Leopards Robin Marsh
Outdoor Pursuits
This weekend our Water Level 3 trip will take place for the first time. We will have 15 students from Moshi campus complete their PADI Open Water Diver practical training, this comes after they have all successfully passed the online theoritical aspect of the course. We are also taking 2 students who are qualified divers, they will be bringing to fruition the goal of service and OP working together and will be planting coral nurseries so we can begin growing coral, they will be moving artificial coral reef balls with the raft the CAS has built and diving to place them on the sea bed ready to have the freshly grown coral planted on them in the future. A huge thank you to Mathias in D2 for the concert he organised for the CAS to raise money for the coral reef raft and nurseries. The night was a huge success thanks to his work, the help from the other performers and support from the TPC and school community. He was able to raise TSH 1,000,000 towards the TSH 2,000,000 + amount needed to pay for all the materials purchased for the raft the CAS has built.
PYP News
This week we had a discussion with all of the children concerning hats, water bottles footwear and bicycles. The points covered during our meeting are outlined below. The intention behind all of these requirements is to keep our PYP children safe.
Hats
All PYP children should have a named hat in school everyday.
All PYP children should have a hat with them in the playground or on the pitch at break time and lunchtime even if they plan to sit in the shade.
All PYP children should wear a hat to P.E. lessons.
All PYP children should wear a hat to outdoor clubs.
Water bottles
All PYP children should have a named water bottle in school everyday.
All PYP children should take a water bottle to PE and outdoor clubs so that they do not waste lesson time queueing at the water fountain.
Shoes
All PYP children should wear footwear on the walkways, playground and pitch.
All PYP children should have a pair of indoor shoes in school. These can also be worn for short journeys along the breezeway.
Bicycles, go karts, skateboards.
Bicycles and wheeled toys should not be used on the public walking areas (breezeways) or playground.
PYP children should get off their bicycles as they enter campus (back gate or the hand washing stations near the front entrance) and push their bicycles to the bike racks.
After 3:30pm children can ride their bicycles on the pitches and use wheeled toys on the basketball court if these areas are not being used for sport.
Dates for your diary
Wedensday 2nd December – Secondary Evening of the Arts – see invitation below
Thursday 3rd December – last day of PYP Clubs
Thursday 10th December – PYP Parent Teacher conferences – a sign up link will be emailed to you next week.
Invitation to PYP Students
PYP students are encouraged to attend the Secondary “An Evening of the Arts”
When? Wednesday, 2nd December.
What time? 4:00pm onwards
Where? On the green between Rafiki and Karibu Hall
What will be happening:
Singing performances
Drama – Shakespeare performances by M1 – M3.
Festive market
Fun activities such as decorating cookies with icing.
The children should bring a little spending money and an adult to supervise them
At 7:00pm the community choir will sing in Rafiki Hall.
At 7:15pm it will be time for PYP students to leave as the rest of the event is only meant for M1 and above. We look forward to seeing many of the children there.
Primary Student Voice would like to invite all PYP students to their first ever primary disco. There will be:
Mocktails (2000 shillings)
A raffle
Dance competitions
Tickets cost 5000 and include a free drink and entry to the raffle. Pick yours up from Ms. Elisha starting Monday.
Dress code: Fancy!
EC/P1 Class
“If I could have any pet in the world, what would it be?”
This question gave us a lot to think about. Some of us settled for the normal cats and dogs that we are comfortable with. But a few of us wanted something more exciting and quite adventurous. Imagine having saber-toothed tigers and lions living in your house as pets. For one of our girls, a colourful unicorn is what she wished to have as a pet. I wonder what you would like moms and dads.
Please talk about it with your children and take an imagination adventure with them. As the questions such as, what would you feed your pet? Where would it live? What kind of games would you play with them?
Next week, we will be looking at how we can group animals. EC2s and P1s will be looking at how to group animals using these words fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
What an exciting week we’ve had in P 2/3! We were so happy to welcome Christian into our classroom, and we’re thrilled to see him and his family back in Moshi!
This week, we’ve been reviewing our number sense, looking at the expanded and standard form of different numbers, as well as the hundreds, tens and ones in different numbers. We’ve also reviewed greater, lesser and equal numbers. We’ve concluded our unit of inquiry, with students completing a comparison of their homes to one from the past. We’ve also had a chance to see the latest development on the school construction site. It’s looking pretty cool!
Lastly, we’d all like to wish Baraka a happy birthday as he celebrated his 7th birthday this week!
Elisha Jaffer
P4 Class
I’m thankful for the terrific kick-off we’ve had to our new unit: Rituals, traditions and artifacts are an expression of our beliefs and values. We spent our first week looking at Harvest Festivals around the World and thinking about the importance of Gratitude. A big thanks to parents who sent in food for our mini-harvest fest on Thursday! In the next two weeks of the term we’ll be looking at Christmas and Hanukkah traditions from around the world After break, we’ll explore Diwali, Ramadan, New Years around the World and a few other holidays. We would LOVE to have parents come in to share about special ways that your family or home country celebrate holidays. Mama Nahar is planning on explaining Hanukkah to the class sometime next week!
A reminder has been given to students about hats, water bottles and indoor shoes- please help us by checking to see that your student is bringing those in daily.
Talking points with kids: your favorite holiday
Kacey Buckley
P5 Class
We were delighted to welcome Josephine back to class this week. Our week started off well on Monday when each child shared something of their own culture with the class to illustrate that by living in Moshi, and mixing our different cultures, we have made our community more diverse and interesting. We learned about buildings, songs, festivals, traditions, customs, clothes, languages and tasty food – we had a wonderful day. This week the children have been busy finishing their country study posters, publishing their writing and creating a picture of an animal that migrates. Next week we will start our unit on human body systems. Our central idea is: “Body systems are interconnected to support life.”
Our lines of inquiry are
The interconnected nature of our body systems
Consequences of choices people make for their body systems
Connection between the choices we make and healthy body systems
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
The P6 shone this week, not only did they present their summatives for our plant unit to parents and the P4 class, they also cooked and cleaned all day Thursday. They prepared a delicious meal with dishes like roasted roots, apple crisp, green salad, fruit salad, garlic lemon green beans, candied carrots, and kale. They prepared all of this with very little help from me, and even better was their willingness to clean up after themselves and after the meal. They did such a good job with cleaning that they earned enough rocks for a rock party today.
Next week we will start our new unit about early civilizations and how they have shaped the world today. Each student will be looking into an invention that has helped us as humans, and will present it to the audience speaking from the perspective of the inventor. I am sad to see this unit close, but excited to see what the next one holds. They are great inquirers!
