This weekend we had our Graduations on both campuses to say goodbye to 131 students. One of the overriding sentiments from students was the desire to have this not be a farewell but rather a temporary parting of the ways. Having been here for a while now, I do not doubt that we will see some of these students again, the school seems to attract back previous graduates to have a peek and see what is new and what is still the same.
The students made the graduation their own as they showcased their speaking and singing talents and we celebrated the achievements of the class as a whole and individually.
It is done in more detail by Margaret below but thank you to everyone that made the day special, you did a fantastic job.
Graduation was just part of the last week as you will see in the newsletter. We still had the sports, Outdoor Pursuits and other activities on and off campus. I even had the opportunity to join the Plains level 4 group. Thank you to Mr Morley for getting out the newsletter last week.
This week we continue to move forward, and I would note that we will have some visitors from other UWC schools on Thursday and Friday as part of a monitoring visit. The three will be visiting school events on both campuses as well as interacting with students and staff.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Upcoming
Ben’s Corner
Our community has been a place of mixed emotions over recent days as we celebrate our graduating Class of 2023. With one eye on all that is yet to come, we also look back on all that has gone before and reflect on the many tribulations and celebrations of the last two years. It was lovely to see our graduates looking so resplendent on the stage and, of course, to see so many proud faces in the audience.
I also wanted to echo the thanks to the many people across the community who put so much time and effort into making Friday a success and giving our D2s the send off they deserved.
On Thursday evening, the D2 students organised and hosted an “Appreciation Dinner” for the staff. It is fitting that this event took place on the night of the final exams and the day before Graduation. In the midst of celebrations, it is all too easy to get lost in the occasion and forget the people who have worked so hard to help us. After all, no duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. It was a lovely event and I know the teachers felt appreciated. As the Community Choir sang so beautifully:
“As you journey on to another place We wish you well my friend Until we meet again”
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
Although the major focus this week is D2, I would like to start with some reminders of dates for D1.
The exams take place from May 29th to June 2nd.
The compulsory group 4 project, ESS field trip, group 4 IA preparation time and CAS interviews take place from June 7th to June 9th.
The actual IB assessment of the TOK exhibition takes place from June 12th and June 13th.
There are other things happening as mentioned in previous newsletters, but these are the most important and should only be missed for exceptional reasons.
Now onto the happy part.
The D2 exams finished on Thursday morning with Biology. They have gone incredibly well except for a few issues with electricity on Wednesday. The papers have all been sent to the UK where they are scanned and then sent off electronically to examiners all over the world. Results are available in July and students will be sent details on how to access them.
On Thursday evening we had the lovely staff appreciation dinner. Teachers and support staff sat with students. We had an amazing meal provided by our kitchen staff. There was a thank you video and speeches for departing staff. We did a quiz to see who knew interesting facts about their teachers and a singing game.
On Friday we had graduation. We started with the photographs representing different sections of the school and these will be available soon. The students then lined up with a teacher they have a connection with and then we walked into the beautifully decorated K – Hall to applause. After everyone was on stage, we sang the national anthem and were welcomed by our MCs and the Director, Anna. I then introduced each student, and they were presented with their envelope that contains their High School Diploma and a variety of letters, some written by the students to themselves, others by a teacher or other students. We had two wonderful musical performances and our yearly awards to to highlight some of the student achievements. There were speeches by students in English and Kiswahili and I also spoke. We end with the students walking out in pairs and the variety of different ways they chose to do this brought tears to my eyes. Then there was a chance to mingle outside, take photographs, hug, say thank you etc. Finally, we cut cakes and ate snacks.
Our thanks go to Pooja A, Samina K, Brigette J, Rose M, Patricia M, Camilla S and Srilakshmi M for their hard work decorating Karibu Hall. Special thanks to Antje R for coordinating it and to Heleen B and Christine B for the donations of tremendous amounts of flowers.
Campus will be quieter now as they have all left. Massive thanks to the residential staff for their work in making this happen. Good luck to all of them and keep in touch.
Margaret Brunt – Diploma Coordinator
KCMC CAS Group
Last week, the KCMC CAS students went to the hospital to spend time with the children from the oncology ward and their families. The aim of the visit was to encourage the children to take part in fun physical activities. So, we brought hula hoops, balls and bean bags and planned engaging and fun exercises, accessible to everyone.
After a quick warm-up, and some upbeat music helping, everyone was eager to try and get involved in the exercises. The atmosphere was amazing and it was lovely to see so many enjoying both the music and the equipment we brought with us. This was truly a magical moment, as we saw so many smiles, and everyone seemed to enjoy an active afternoon:)
At the end of our visit, we gave the children and their families candies. It was a great afternoon of fun and games for all! We are looking forward to going back again and are working with KCMC staff to look at ways to be able to offer a children’s fitness class on a monthly basis for next year.
Thank you to the KCMC staff who welcomed us, Dr. Marieke and Ms. Stephanie for helping us prepare the equipment and activities and to Ms. Tahera for the candies!
KCMC CAS
MYP News
MYP 5 Updates! Celebrations are in order! M5 finished their assessments on Friday and are now getting ready to celebrate real soon. We are excited to see you at the M5 Ceremony on June 2nd, 2023!
Venue: Rafiki Hall
Time: 4:00-6:30
Theme: Colors
Dress Code: Colors
Please complete the forms shared with parents/guardian by email. If for some reason the email did not go through, kindly find them here for your reference:
While the M5 students have finished the exams they are not done for the year. They will not have the normal classes but will be focusing on other aspects that highlight our UWC mission as well as better prepare them for Diploma, University and beyond. These are some of the items that will occur over the next two weeks.
From High School to University
Diploma Coordinator individual Meetings
ICT, Research and Writing for Diploma
M5 Drama Production – Thursday Evening
Personal Finance and Money Management
External Service Project
If you have specific questions, please contact me.
MAP Result Updates M1-M3: MAP results are out and will be shared with parents/guardians this coming week.
MYP is a RISK!? As part of their I&S Unit: Map Skills, M1 explored the game RISK. It was quite an interesting activity, and the M1s took it very seriously (as you can see in the picture). The use of this board game focused on the following concepts that we were learning in class: – Geographic Knowledge – Spatial Awareness – Map Reading and Interpretation – Strategic Thinking – Negotiation and Diplomacy
It was fun!
Important MYP Dates to Keep in Mind:
May 28th – June 2nd – M4 End of Year Assessments
June 2nd – M5 Ceremony – Photos at 3:30/ Ceremony at 4:00
June 8th – P6 Move up – Day Spent with M1
June 9th – Parent Meet and Greet (P6 to M1)
June 12th- 14th – Week of Giving Back (Previously Known as Focus Days- Details to come soon)
June 15th – Reports issued
June 15th – Sports Day
June 16th – Last Day of School
Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
From the Counselors
D2 Parents-Request The IC3 Institute is collecting data on how students, counselors, and parents engage with the career and college decision-making process. Your help to complete this 10-minute survey is greatly appreciated. Click the link below and then find the PARENT button to begin the survey.
D2 Student Preparation Tips for University Attendance
In the midst of finishing IB exams, packing up their rooms, and going through the graduation ceremony, students must keep in mind to review their university email frequently as this is the primary mode of communication from universities.
Students should receive communication about the following:
I-20 form
Housing selection, deposit, and roommate preferences
Meal plan selection
What to bring to the university (no linen and bedding or toiletries are provided)
International student orientation information
D1 Virtual Parent Meeting – SAVE the DATE!
We will have our final D1 virtual parent meeting for the school year on Tuesday, May 23rd from 7:30-9 pm. This meeting will be focused on explaining the differences between application systems across the world. If you have questions about the session topic, please send them in advance. We anticipate spending the last 30 minutes of the session covering your questions. Please send questions to cassandraford@uwcea.org by May 21st. No RSVP is required.
Tuesday, May 23-In-Person Visit by Ponoma, Swarthmore, and Williams Colleges (Davis Partner Schools). These three highly selective, top 50 liberal arts colleges will share with students on the Moshi campus about their programs and the topic How to Write Your Personal Statement for Highly Selective Colleges. 4:00 pm-5 pm in K-Hall.
Saturday, June 3-SAT Digital Exam, Rafiki Hall from 7:45 am-11 am. All test takers will be notified by email of the specifics to bring for that day.
Andrea Kitomary – University Counselor
Sports Update
Last Friday, students at our school had an amazing time taking part in a mini volleyball tournament that was led by Mr. Julien. This fun-filled event saw students and teachers alike coming together to play a few volleyball games, with competitive.
On Saturday, Dr. Wade organized a basketball tournament for both MYP and DP students, which was just as exciting as the previous day’s events. The tournament was incredibly inclusive and mixed, allowing all students to participate and showcase their skills. This coming Saturday, we have another exciting event lined up for our students. Kivuli boys will be playing against Kisiwa in a series of friendly games featuring a range of different sports. Students are eagerly looking forward to the competitive spirit that will be on display during this event.
On another note, Our U11 and U13 Netball teams will also be participating in an exciting NTSAA tournament event on Saturday, June 10. Students are requested to meet at 6:15 AM on Saturday, and we will depart at 6:30 AM to Kennedy House. Invitations will be sent out this upcoming week with a restriction of only 12 students on each team because of NTSAA rules.
We’re thrilled to see our students getting involved in so many exciting events and opportunities at the school, and we hope to see even more enthusiasm and participation in the future. Thank you to all the teachers and staff who have worked hard to make these events possible.
Mostafa Rihan – Sports & Activities Coordinator
Outdoor Pursuits
This past weekend a small but adventurous group went to Maramboi Manyara Gate for Plains Level 4. The weather was definitely in the group’s favour as well. Here two students’ reports on how the trip went:
The most challenging thing about the trip was walking and trying to entertain ourselves at the campsite but we solved this with a frisbee. The third day was 18 km, this felt endless like it was not going to stop. The exciting part of the third day was reaching camp, getting some rest, having some water and relief. There was a variety of wildlife on this trip such as zebra, wildebeest, and even a leopard (spotted by the driver one morning). We had a guide with us and he spoke about all the possible animals we may see on the walk, even lions. Even though we didn’t see a lion, every twig snapping or rustling bush sound made us self-aware and paranoid that a lion would be here with us.
Joshua G M3
We covered 50 km on this Plains trip. I would say the most challenging part of the trip was the walking, on day 1 was 15km, day 2 was 17 km and the third day was 18 km. Our group varied in strength and ability; it was hard for some members to keep up. What I liked about the trip was the view of the mountains and the lake. We also saw so many animals on the trip which was great. We saw giraffes, wildebeest, flamingos, zebras, Impala and warthogs. We also had good weather. As I was walking, I saw lion prints and hyena and I told everyone. I am a little bit sad I didn’t get to see the lions on the trip.
Pascal S M3
Final trip of the year:
Reefs L2: Open Waters Activities: 3 June – 6 June at 14:00
Baden Dowie – Experiential Learning Coordinator
PYP News
On Tuesday, many of the children are involved in a Touch Rugby tournament on our campus. Letters were sent home last week. Kick off is at 10:30 and we should be finished by 1:30pm. Please come along to support the children.
The Brownies are heading to Kahawa Shamba on Friday afternoon for an overnight camp.
On Saturday, 3rd June, we are hosting some football matches against Hope. We will be fielding a U7 mixed team, a U9 mixed team, a U11 boys’ team and a U11 girls’ team.
Thursday, 8th June, the P6 students will spend the day with M1 as part of the transition to MYP. Classes will finish at 3:05 p.m.
Friday, 9th June 7:30am Rafiki Hall P6 leaving ceremony (all are welcome) followed by M1 Parents coffee with Ms. Farah
On Saturday, 10th June, we have a U11 team heading to Kennedy House for netball.
We have our Gathering of Gratitude on Friday, 26th May, 7:40am in Rafiki Hall. We are hoping that we will have some visitors from a UWC visiting team in the audience. We look forward to seeing you there.
Deborah Mills – PYP Coordinator
EC/P1 Class
Thank you to all who managed to send their child/ren to school with watches. EC1s have explored clocks and they know that we use them to tell the time. EC2 and P1s can tell the time to o’clock using the analog clock. P1s can read to the half-hour. Please keep on practicing with them at home so that it becomes a daily habit.
In the coming week, we will be looking at fractions and sharing. You can begin using words such as half and quarter at home as you cut up fruits or make pancakes. ECS and P1s will be looking at how to write fractions as well.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
Phew, here’s hoping for a full class on Monday! We had a busy week at school and got through lots of work but we were missing quite a few students each day. It was definitely the right call to postpone the class camping trip! I’ll send home more information about the new plan soon.
The highlight of next week will be the Gratitude Gathering on Friday morning. The photo shows some of the preparations that we’ve begun. Please come enjoy your children celebrating the many things we have to be grateful for!
A focus for our unit on Tanzania this past week was understanding more about continents and countries. Our class loves maps and is enjoying learning more about geography- you may have fun talking about this at home!
Kacey Buckley
P4/5 Class
This week, the P4/5 children were lucky enough to benefit from the knowledge of two visitors to class. First, Mr. Greg Emmanuel shared a slideshow with the children about his family’s migration journey from Greece to Tanzania, more than a century ago. The children were fascinated when he wrote in Greek on the whiteboard and explained that he had attended St. Constantine’s school as a child, and had learned Greek there. He shared old documents showing the number of farms in the region, who owned them and what crops were grown. On Wednesday and Thursday, Mr. Ken Grob, our secondary school science teacher, taught the children about the anatomy of the heart. This included walking around a chalk outline of the heart and dissecting a goat heart. I would like to thank both Greg and Ken for giving up their time to provide the children with such informative and interesting experiences.
Next week, we will consider why some people support migration into their home area and some people oppose it. As part of their home learning, the children will prepare a short presentation on an aspect of their “home culture” that they would like to share with the class. Further details will be sent home on Monday.
Don’t forget that we will be presenting in the Gathering of Gratitude on Friday, 7:40am in Karibu Hall.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
As promised, some more details of our recent camping trip. Two of our PYP exhibitions this semester were on ‘Deforestation on Kilimanjaro’ and ‘Namalok’. The action for change by both students was to assist and promote the tree planting project in Namalok.
Namalok is a nature reserve at the foot of Kilimanjaro in TPC. It’s the biggest fenced reserve in Tanzania. They are working with the Kilimanjaro Project; an NGO planting trees on Kilimanjaro and Meru. We heard about the projects from Mr Sanne, TPC, Ms Sophia, Kili Project and Mr Justin from Nature Conservancy that funds the project. Then P6 utilised their tree planting skills to plant indigenous trees under the guidance of Mr Sami. Planting in the shimmering heat, with Kilimanjaro imperious amongst the clouds above us, there was a real sense of connection. Later Ranger foreman Tinotheo led us on two Nature walks, with an overnight camp between, to appreciate the beauty and diversity of this area. I hope that someday in the future, some of these students may bring their own children to Namalok and be very proud of what they have contributed to.
Hywel Davies
Our tree planing project
Additional Graduation Pictures
And one additional photo from the students entering at Arusha Graduation.
