In the next week we will be coming to campus to start the next semester. For most of us this is a great opportunity to catch up with people we have not seen over the holidays and learn about each other’s experiences. However, we also will have several new faces on campus in the MYP and PYP. Let me say welcome as you join our school. I am sure that you will quickly find your place in our community.
Like always, the campus will be full of activity in no time and I suggest that you use the calendars on the website (www.uwcea.org/calendar) to keep track of events in the school and on campus. As well there are some program specific notes below.
So, I hope you are enjoying the remainder of the holiday and look forward to seeing you soon.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Ben’s Corner
I hope you enjoyed a safe and restful break and managed to reconnect with family and friends or just enjoy some downtime. For our D2s in particular, I trust you used your time productively but also found moments to relax and sleep! Good luck with all that is to come and, at a time when everyone is full of words of wisdom or advice, be sure to do all that you can to ensure your results are a true reflection of your abilities.
One thing the last Quarter highlighted was the power of the collective over the individual and the wisdom of the crowd. No doubt 2025 will also throw challenges our way. However, if we remember to take advantage of our collaborative expertise, our shared passion and empathy, we will continue to thrive. As we move into Semester 2, let’s not forget to carry on listening to and supporting each other. After all, we continue to embrace a common and wholly positive goal.
With that, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and offer a particularly heartfelt “Karibu” to everyone who is new to our UWCEA community. We have so much to look forward to, so much to be thankful for and so much to be proud of.
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
We are looking forward to welcoming our diploma students and teachers back on campus soon.
By now, many of our D2 students have heard back from Universities and many have accepted positions at Universities all around the world. It truly is such an exciting time of their lives. Their hard work in semester one has really paid off. To those still waiting to hear, we know more offers are still to come and we will be celebrating with you when they come.
This semester will be a big one for our D2 students as they submit many of their final IAs and their Extended Essay. They will also have two weeks of mock exams, starting February 3rd. This is an opportunity for them to practice writing under exam conditions. While students may have University offers, they must continue giving their best to ensure they finish their IB journey well.
This semester our D1 students will be moving TOK classes to focus in on one topic. Many thanks to our flexible TOK teachers for setting this up.
Lastly, we will be hosting our second Diploma Parent Meeting on Thursday 23 January at 9am for any interested parents. The zoom link will be sent closer to the time along with the proposed agenda.
We look forward to another productive semester.
Catherine Dowie – Diploma Coordinator
Residential Life
Dear UWCEA Community,
Happy New Year and welcome back to school!
I hope you all had a chance to relax, recharge, and spend some quality time away from the hustle and bustle of deadlines and academics. The semester ahead will be full of opportunities and challenges, but for now, let’s take a moment to savor the fresh start.
We wrapped up last semester on such a high note with our holiday send-off dinner party! A heartfelt thank you to our amazing Dining Hall staff for going above and beyond to prepare such a memorable meal for us all. And a special shoutout to our incredible Student Government candidates who planned, decorated, and made the evening’s program and performances truly special. Your creativity and hard work didn’t go unnoticed—well done!
This week, we’ll ease back into our rhythm with a mix of residential activities and community gatherings. On Monday, January 20th, we’ll come together for a whole school assembly where Alina and Eugene, our outgoing Student Government Co-Presidents, will officially pass the torch to the new team. It’s always inspiring to see student leadership in action, and I can’t wait to see what this new group has in store for us.
We’re also excited to welcome a few new faces to our community! This semester, we’ll have new students joining our MYP program and two residential interns, Kim and Patrick, from the University of Duisburg-Essen. They’ll be with us for the next three months, primarily supporting our MYP students. Please give them a warm welcome when you see them on campus.
And as if that wasn’t exciting enough, we’re thrilled to announce that the Makutano Lodge will be reopening soon. Stay tuned for more updates!
Here’s to a semester filled with growth, joy, and new adventures. Welcome back—let’s make it a great one!
Adnan Mackovic – Head of Residential Life
MYP News
Welcome back, and Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed a restful break and are feeling recharged for the exciting term ahead.
As we step into 2025 and the second half of our academic year, I want to extend my warmest wishes to each of you for a year filled with happiness, peace, and success. Together, we look forward to supporting our students as they continue to grow, learn, and thrive in the MYP.
As you know, Semester 2 is a busy time of year, so I encourage you to check the school calendar and this newsletter regularly. I’ll continue adding important dates and updates each week to help you stay informed about all the wonderful events and activities happening in our community. We look forward to continuing learning, connecting and nurturing positive momentum for our school and students!
MYP Dates to Remember
January 14th – Classes Resume at 7:30 am
January 20th – 23rd- M5 French Mock Orals
February 12th to 16th – AISA GISS Conference
February 20th to 24th – Long Weekend
March 3rd to 7th – Book Week
March 8th and 9th – MYPX Setup
March 10th – MYPX (Personal Project Exhibition)
March 18th to 21st – M5 French Final Orals
April 2nd – M3 Science Fair
April 5th to 21st – Holiday
April 22nd – Classes Resume Q4
Have a wonderful week back! Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
PYP News
Happy New Year. I hope that everyone enjoyed a relaxing break. The teachers and EAs are all looking forward to seeing the children on Tuesday, 14th January.
Class news
EC/P1 are looking forward to an exciting semester. Our unit for the quarter involves exploring living things. This always involves a lot of learning and fun. We also look forward to welcoming a student teacher from Norway this quarter. Her name is Susann. More information will come as the weeks unfold – Ms. Mboka
P 2/3 should be excited about the upcoming semester! We will kick off Q3 with a unit on Water. I’m sure that the students will enjoy the hands-on activities and experiments – Ms. Kacey
P4/5 will be inquiring how we use our voices. This will fit in very well our work for with the school production! We will also do some Readers’ Theatre (drama where the performer holds the script) and write some poetry and persuasive writing – Ms. Deborah
P6 students will have an exciting quarter as they prepare for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition. A retreat at Kishari House will take place on January 16–17, where students will discuss their chosen topics, draft their Central Ideas and Lines of Inquiry. The retreat will also include conversations about the importance of academic honesty and taking action. Permission forms and further details were sent home at the end of last quarter; please return these to school on Tuesday, January 14 – Ms. Natasha
PYP Involvement in the Production
The P2 – 6 children have been learning the songs for the school production, “The Bucket Tree,” and are invited to participate in the two performances (30th and 31st January) as part of the chorus. There will be some rehearsals in semester 2 outside of the school day that are listed below. There are two weekend days and one Wednesday afternoon. I don’t have full details of the Wednesday times but will share them as soon as I have the information.
Saturday, 25th January, 2025
10:00-12:30 pm
Run through songs (all cast and choir+primary students)
Sunday, 26th January, 2025
10:00-12:30 pm
Run through songs (all cast and choir+primary students)
Wednesday, 29th January, 2025
1:00-6:00 pm
Run Through (all cast and choir, primary)
Thursday 30th January -SHOW 1 (Opening night)
Primary and choir only to be at school 7:00-7:15 pm
Show Starts: 7:30pm
Friday 31st January – SHOW 2 (Closing night)
Primary and choir only to be at school 7:00-7:15 pm
Show Starts: 7:30pm
Some P5 and P5 children have acting parts in the production and have additional rehearsal times which have been shared separately.
Primary afternoon clubs
Clubs will not start the first week back as the clubs schedule is still being organised. Please email me (deborahmills@uwcea.org) or Coach Pickell (joshpickell@uwcea.org) if you would like to offer a club this quarter. We rely on parental involvement to be able to offer the children a rich and varied programme of activities. Saturday football will start on January 25th.
Deborah Mills – PYP Coordinator
Outdoor Pursuits
Welcome back to the start of term and the OP team is looking forward to another busy semester. Our first trip will be departing next week (Thursday 23rd) to Mount Meru, and students have been busy training over the holiday period.
A reminder, all trips are on LIFE for students to sign up. The OP team has created the following infographic for parents to help with planning.
Please also refer to the school web-site, where you can find catalogues and packing lists which give further detail:
