Moshi Campus News – 1 May 2022

Happy holidays to everyone for both the Worker’s Day today and the Eid over the next few days. As of right now we are not sure when that will be so you will get an email from me tonight letting you know if there will be classes tomorrow.

It is the exam season and our D2 students started their exams on Thursday with Physics and Business. Due to the way the exams are organized by the IB some students are off with two subjects done and some do not have their first exam until the end of this coming week. All of the students will be done by the 20th and we have Graduation on the 21st. While these students have the major focus, the M5 students will be wrapping up their MYP program with their Personal Project exhibition on May 12th and their exams to end the month. Their ceremony is on Friday June 3rd.

Even though this year is still in full swing, we are starting the preparations for next year. We are in the midst of MYP and PYP applications for new students with very limited space in upper MYP.  As well the IB D1 admissions through the UWC processes is almost set and those incoming classes for both campuses will be mostly confirmed in the next week. As part of this our accounts office is in full swing and invoices will be out soon as well.

As you read down through the newsletter you will see more about recent happenings and things coming up.

Bob Cofer

I hope you were able to make it to the production this week of “10 Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.” See these images of the evenings.

Congratulations on another outstanding school production. Special thanks to the actors, the backstage crew, Heloise, Ms Penny, and of course Mr Alastair.

As a school, we are committed to continually seeking ways to improve. Our recent combined accreditation visit was a significant part of this constant cycle of self-improvement. Led by our Guiding Statements, we follow a Strategic Plan to help us define a vision for the future and identify the shared goals and objectives we might need to get there. At the moment, we are in the early stages of creating a new five year plan that will run until 2027.

We have identified seven distinct strategic goals to help us achieve this:

Goal 1: We offer a holistic and innovative education in line with our Guiding Statements.
Goal 2: We live the UWC Mission and Values in East Africa.
Goal 3: We care about our planet and act to make our world sustainable.
Goal 4: We foster an environment that allows all community members to thrive.
Goal 5: We value and celebrate our rich cultural diversity.
Goal 6: We passionately engage with our alumni.
Goal 7: We build relationships in Tanzania and beyond.

The initial process includes establishing the sequence in which those goals should be realised, a kind of roadmap, so that we can reach our stated vision. In time, the plan will include a timeline and progress indicators along the way. The goals should, ultimately, improve students’ school experience and their learning outcomes. At this stage, we are inviting suggestions from different stakeholders, namely students, to seek their input. It has been fascinating gathering their suggestions and looking for patterns and trends in their feedback. Please look out for opportunities to be involved in the process in the near future.

Ben Morley

The exams have started for D2 students this week, Physics and Business Management have finished and the papers are off to the UK to be scanned and then sent off to markers around the world. Next week there are no exams on Monday or Tuesday but we start again on Wednesday and by the end of the week all students will have had their first exam. It has been a good start and I hope it will continue. There is a calm and studious atmosphere around school and in the residential houses.

The exams finish on Friday 20th May. We will have our first rehearsal for graduation on Thursday 19th and then further rehearsals on the 20th. On the evening of the 20th there is a meal for the D2 students and teachers. Graduation itself is on the 21st May. We will meet for photographs at 1 pm and the ceremony will start at 2:30 pm. Invitations will be sent soon.

For D1 students it is work as normal. It is important to note that the curriculum work continues until the end of the school year. Students should not be leaving early. Details of what will happen will be shared next week.

On Monday we had an Earth Day assembly organised by the Environmental Club. They had a good mix of fun and facts. Well Done to all involved.

On Wednesday and Thursday some DP students were part of the school production. A lot of hard work had gone into it, and it was very impressive.

Margaret Brunt

Dear UWCEA Community,

The KCMC CAS is in need of your clutter!

We are looking for donations of toys, clothes, books, appliances – anything at all that you’re not using anymore and would be willing to give away.

All the donations will be used to help the kids at KCMC. If you donate things that can be directly used by kids, we will hand them over to the hospital. The other donations will be sold at the Farmers’ Market on the 27th of May and the proceeds will be used by our CAS to further help the hospital.

A box will be set up outside of Miss Marniel’s classroom (room 10) and open for donations until the 26th of May.

If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to let any of the CAS members know. We’re looking forward to helping the kids with your donations. Thank you so much! 🙂

D2
To date, we have had 131 admission acceptances among our 78 students with some students still applying in Europe. May 1st is the deadline for students to accept an offer to enroll at US colleges. Once a decision has been made, encourage your student to apply for his/her visa as soon as possible. The students will receive an I-20 form from the colleges after their enrollment is confirmed. This will be needed to start the visa application process.

D1
Thank you to the parents who were able to join the virtual D1 Parent Meeting on this week. We had 50 parents between the two campuses. If you missed the presentation a video will be made available and emailed to you. Also, the UWC East Africa Guidelines and Expectation form will be emailed for a parent to complete. Students will not be allowed an appointment in fall 2022 with the University Counselor on either campus until both the student and parent have completed the form.

There are several college presentations and fairs coming up in May. Please have your student check Managebac for dates and times. We strongly recommend students attend these events while still in D1 to help with the college research process.

M5
The M5 students are completing their Career Education Plan. This plan involves students’ exploration of themselves and their interests. Please ask your student to share their plan with you.

Andrea Kitomary

More and More MYP 
Growth Mindset Episode #21
“A mind is like a parachute; it doesn’t work if it is not open- Frank Zappa

Not too long ago, our school had an “open-mic” evening during which wonderful performances came to life such as poetry, music, skits and lots more. Starting from there, one of our M4 students challenged me in writing poetry. He went home after school, wrote a poem and sent it to me right before the event that evening. It is a poem that is most definitely worth sharing as it shows how the best part of being part of the Middle Years Programme is being a risk-taker and accepting new challenges.

Think MYP:

One of our M1students looked at me and said: “Miss, you know I am legendary!”. Naturally, we all smiled and giggled at the word-choice because of the stereotype linked to its meaning. Well, with the growth mindset we are developing, why not? Yes, our learners can be legendary because they are remarkable enough to stand out because of their affective skills, their resilience and their inquisitive nature, and this is what our “legendary” MYP learners do:

• They set learning goals and learn for understanding
• They explore various tasks to test themselves
• They seek out new challenges
• They believe that effort is more important than ability
• They take responsibility and learn from mistakes
• They are flexible and believe that intelligence is developed and grown
• They have an internal locus of control
• They are optimistic about future expectations
• They are happy

If you ask me, that’s pretty legendary!

Farah Fawaz

This week our residential update is both written and photographed by Fabio
in M5:

“Prom was the event. It was the event we all looked forward to; especially as an m5. We knew that the dress code was semi-formal, but sometimes duty calls. “It’s time to do damage” some would say. To be completely honest, the dress code was not held, it never would have held a chance against the suits the m5’s wore, and the dresses of course, not to mention the others.

After a late prom night, Saturday 3:30 pm, the opening of International Day, was not far away. The event was outstanding. It was impressive seeing the sheer number of people, from young to old entering. Everyone was interacting, truly the UWC spirit. Moreover, I felt that the behind the scene work was forgotten. Having seen backstage, I found that the main event ran just as smooth as the backstage work.

 Drum rolls, please. THE FASHION SHOW! If that was not a spectacular ending, I do not know what would have been. Having participated in the fashion show, I start to understand how much work goes into a 2-hour event. From planning to measuring, to creating, to fitting, to practicing. From the perspective of a participant, the Adrenaline pounds around your body when the music starts. You stand in front of the entrance. It’s only a few seconds until you start walking. Lights on you! Are you the main character? Maybe, maybe not, at least you feel like one. The crowd claps and you feel an accomplishment. The only thought running through my head was, when will we have something like this again. Frankly, it is up to us to plan and organize.”

Fabio

Thank you to everyone involved in last week’s amazing weekend and now we look ahead to planning exciting dates with our youngest students in residential life as they host the final residential dinner on the 13th of May. Watch this space.

For our D2’s a lot has been mentioned, but we also need to consider their leaving dates. I have sent them a document that they need to complete so please make arrangements with your child and know that our residences for D2 students will close on May 23rd, but we will be opening our Kishari house for those with late departures.

Simon Johnston

After-school clubs and activities

Our first week of clubs and activities kicked off to a flying start this week. The after school programs are important for a healthy lifestyle and active pursuits, as well as our goal of enabling our students to take on leadership roles. It was great to see students joyfully lead their peers and take part in a variety of activities.

The activity lists and schedules have been updated. Should you have any inquiries, please email me on gilbertkaburu@uwcea.org.

Gilbert Kaburu

On Monday there was a whole school assembly to celebrate Earth Day. Well done to the P2 children for sharing their Valentines to Earth in front of such a large audience.

This week saw the P4-6 students complete their MAP tests. The results will be shared with parents in a few weeks after the MYP students have completed their own MAP assessments.

Some of the older PYP children enjoyed the secondary students’ production, “10 Ways to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse” on Wednesday and Thursday evening. Thank you to the cast for a wonderful performance.

Our overseas order has arrived so we have new books, new toys and new learning resources in the classrooms. Some classes have new carpets – please ensure that your child has a pair of indoor shoes to wear at school so that we can keep the mud out of the classrooms during the rainy season.

In the coming week, class photos will be taken. As we are not sure how public holidays will sit, class teachers will be in contact with you to let you know when these pictures will be taken. You might want to reserve their favourite school T-shirts for that day.

Mboka Mwasongwe & Deborah Mills

Thank you to everyone who came to the Student Voice Primary Gathering and supported the students. The students did a fantastic job sharing the importance of a school like ours with the primary teachers, parents and students. The students were such risk-takers in sharing their thoughts with the primary school having only had two run throughs! Well done Student Voice!

Earth day celebrations went well on Monday. We worked on our garden, feeding the plants with fertilizer. We had an animated discussion about the best fertilizer for plants and everyone had their particular choices. Throughout the week, the children took care of their plants and just watched them to observe any chances.

We are continuing with our exploration of emotions. This coming week, we will look at facial expressions, body movements and any clues we can find to show us how a person is feeling. When you have time this week, play some games which involve changing our facial expressions so that the children can begin to notice differences.

P1s are working on skip counting. They are counting in 2s, 5s, 10s and 100s. They have had fun creating little displays to help them remember. They will continue with this next week.

Mboka Mwasongwe

This week the P2 students have been inquiring into water conservation. They have learned what conservation means, and thought about why and how we should conserve water. The students wrote letters encouraging us all to decrease our use of water, and what some ways to do so are. Some students read about the effect plastic waste has on the ocean and the animals that live in it. They read the story “A Place for Plastic” and wrote letters encouraging the UWCEA Community to decrease their use of plastic. You can find all the letters on the class Seesaw. We continued to work on measurement this week, engaging in some rather messy adventures with corn flour, water and sugar! Check out some of the pictures on Seesaw!

Elisha Jaffer

I was very proud of our P4 students this week. They approached MAP calmly and stayed focused! P3 used our absence as a time to work on some fun things for our unit. This photo shows some of the step-by-step drawings that we’ve worked on together.

Thanks to all the parents who helped pull together research for the Endangered Animal booklets. We will be able to fill any gaps with students who need more time next week. With another short week ahead, I think we will need to settle on a date for our Endangered Animal Expo during the following week.

I’ve reminded the class that this is a good time for keeping indoor shoes at school due to the rain and mud. This quarter is sure to go fast but there is still so much learning to fit in!

Kacey Buckley

This week we received our prize (a delicious chocolate cake) for our winning door design for book week – thank you, Ms. Tahera. The P5 children completed their MAP assessments in Reading, Language and Maths. We continued with our Unit of Inquiry into our active earth. The children made playdough models of the Earth showing the inner core, outer core, mantle and crust. They have started planning a piece of art inspired by The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Hokusai. They have also been busy building structures out of marshmallows and toothpicks. Next week we will test the resiience of these structures in the face of a simulated earthquake on a tray of vigorously shaken jelly. 

On Thursday, the P5 class will have class photos taken. Please ensure all children are wearing a UWCEA T-shirt on this day.

Deborah Mills

It has been an unusual week with the Union Day holiday on Tuesday and testing to alter our usual routines: the children have taken it all in their stride, as they will with the Eid arrangements I’m sure. It’s been great getting clubs up and running again and to see so many children taking part. As the oldest PYP students, P6 have a big role to play in setting an example for younger students in their clubs who look up to them. Our Primary Gathering this week was led by one of our clubs: Student Voice. Otis, Zoe, Irene, Vicky and the other members, gave a great presentation celebrating the good work that Student Voice, and our school, does. In our unit of inquiry, we’ve continued researching types of government and enjoyed a quiz checking our learning so far. In maths, we looked at lines, directions and angles. The testing this week has reminded us all how important reading is to access all information – not just language work. Please encourage and support your child’s reading in their free time. It may be the single most helpful thing they can do to improve their learning.

Hywel Davies