Moshi Campus News – 2 Nov 2019

First I would like to wish a belated happy Diwali to those members of our community that celebrate this festival of light. I could hear the fireworks from my house on Sunday night and hope you all had an enjoyable time.

I would like to congratulate those students and staff that have just returned from the Kilimanjaro Summit OP trip.  As I understand it, the weather was not always in their favor.  They fought through the rain and snow to get to the top.  I suspect they will be a bit tired this weekend!

Friday saw many of our community join in with Halloween celebrations. Many thanks to everyone who decorated their cars as part of the trunk or treat event for the primary students. Thank you also to those of you who decorated houses for the older students to visit. Our drama students created four short acts that were performed in different locations around campus – well done to the actors for entertaining everyone for many hours without a break.  A record amount of candy was donated  this year and helped ensure that our students had an enjoyable time. This event would not be possible without the time and efforts of parents, other community volunteers, students and staff – thank you to everyone who made this such a fun day.

Bob Cofer

Trunk-or-Treat festivities

Please remember that on Tuesday at 7:45am we have our quarterly Parents’ Coffee Morning.  Ben and I will be there in the social center to talk about the past quarter and some of the upcoming events.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Bob Cofer

On Friday November 22nd our 19th Annual Sports Weekend kicks off.  Like last year we are expecting about 900 students from 12 visiting schools and our two campuses to participate in both individual and team sports.  If you are new to this, it is an action-packed weekend of all-day sport running from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.  In addition to the sports, there is also the Farmers’ Market on Saturday and other craft and food vendors all weekend.
As always events like this require a large amount of planning and plenty of support.  If you are willing to volunteer in any way, please let Robin Marsh or myself know when and how you might be able to help.

Bob Cofer

I have spent the last week as part of a Council of International Schools (CIS) Evaluation visiting team at a school in Nairobi. As many of you know, CIS is a membership community committed to high quality international education and currently includes 736 schools and 618 colleges and universities across 116 countries.

To achieve accreditation, schools must “infuse their programmes and offerings with international and intercultural perspective so that students can move forward with the attitudes and understanding that will provide them with a solid base wherever their studies or work may take them.”

The CIS ideals marry perfectly with the Core Values of the UWC Movement and all schools that are part of the community share a common desire to provide students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to pursue their lives as global citizens.

Above all, schools who choose to be part of the process are committing to an ongoing external quality assurance process to enhance student learning and improve as a learning community. UWCEA will be up for reaccreditation in 2021 and, so, will soon begin planning and preparing for the process. The process will involve all stakeholders at the school and, above all, should be approached as a value-added process towards self-improvement.

Being part of an evaluation visit is an extremely demanding but rewarding process. The peer evaluation model is a way of gaining perspectives through the sharing of knowledge and effective practices, to the benefit of both the schools being evaluated and the peers involved in their evaluation…me!

I hope that I was able to add value and support the school I visited but, also, I am returning to Moshi with lots of ideas and suggestions for our community moving forward.

Ben Morley

Once again, a group of students from school have summited Mt Kilimanjaro on Thursday. What a wonderful personal and team experience.  Though it was a lot harder than the climbing team expected (14 Students, two teachers and their guides), we managed it. The team was fantastic, everyone in the team encouraged the other to keep pushing forward. “Pushing forward” in life no matter how hard it is, it what one learns practically from an experience like this. During the climb, which took six days (27th October to 1st November 2019), we experienced different vegetations in all levels; abrupt weather changes; walking for hours in rainfall; need for acclimatization; snow effects at the peak etc.

It is also worth noting that one could see vividly the effects of climate change on the peak with the retreating icecap. For the team it was a huge achievement and was also special having come so close after celebrating 50 years as International School Moshi and the opening as UWC East Africa.

Linda Kileo

The D2 students have been busy with university applications this week with 3 of them submitting applications for early decision. Hopefully we will hear good news about them. The others have longer but still need to be working on their essays and the other key components. The submission of draft IAs and receiving feedback continues with the written assignment draft for English and some final submissions coming up next week. I remain impressed with the commitment they are showing to this process. They had a chance for a break from the stress on Tuesday with a scavenger hunt in Life Skills – this included making themselves into Kilimanjaro, hopefully we will have some photos next week.

The D1 students have started a cycle in Life Skills where they will learn First Aid, Email Etiquette and Car Maintenance as well as doing some work for college application preparation and their CAS portfolio. In Car Maintenance two groups competed to see who could change a tyre faster – the winners managing in less than 3 minutes.

On Friday we saw the students who had attempted to climb Kilimanjaro return, congratulations to all of them especially those who reached the summit. Next weekend we have many diploma students going on the first OP water trip, good luck to them.

On Friday evening we had the annual PTA Halloween event, with students going to the haunted houses and then watching a movie. The girls from Kijana participated in the Trunk or Treat for the PYP students. The D1 theatre group contributed to it by presenting various scenarios planned and produced as a group. Hopefully the Theater group will continue to join us on our annual tradition as this was enjoyed by the students.

Starting on Wednesday we have some students doing Diploma Exams – these students didn’t get the grades they wanted in May and are trying again. These exams will take place in room 27, next to my office. Please can everyone show respect to these students by being quiet around the room when exams are taking place.

Margaret Brunt

This week in the M5 Life Skills class we spent time exploring the concept of peer pressure, and the positive or negative impact it can have in our lives. The students reflected on circumstances that they have found themselves in that caused them to either be encouraged by others, or feeling as though they may have to do something that goes against their principles. Many of us face these challenges at different times, and having an opportunity to evaluate the impact of our relationships is essential as we go through various stages in our lives. Sitting in the mindfulness circle during class on Thursday, and looking at each other as we explored new activities and techniques, it was great to see students being willing to try and supporting each other throughout the session. Everyone could use a moment to reflect on the people in their lives, and whether they either add or take away from your healthy development. If you could use a little inspiration as you explore your peer influences, please take a look at what three men did to encourage each other through their teenage years all the way to becoming doctors. Overcoming challenges can be so much more manageable with the right skills, and people in your life. Three Doctors The Pact

In addition to supporting healthy mental well being, we continue to learn more about post secondary options through interactions with colleges and universities from around the world. This week we had the pleasure of welcoming an ISM alumna, Akshita Aggarwal, who joined us virtually from her campus at the University of Toronto. Akshita, and Admissions Specialist Natasha Bijelich, shared important information about the large university (90,000+ students) with three campuses, and how students can combine majors and minors to make the most of their educational experience. In addition, Akshita talked about her transition to life in Canada, and the resources available to help international students get acclimated to campus. It was wonderful to see students from M5 through D2 engaged in the presentation, and asking excellent questions as part of their post secondary planning process.  I’m so grateful to see our students interested in having these conversations about their options for life after UWC East Africa, and having alumni who are willing to share their experiences with our current students. This circle of influencing each other will go a long way in ensuring continued support and success for our stellar students.

Cassandra Ford

2019 eAssessment transcripts and certificates
As communicated earlier parents/guardians whose children/wards took the examinations in May 2019 are asked to collect the documents above. The documents are being issued from the school reception. A parent may send a representative other than the candidate who took the exam to collect the documents. If this happens, the representative must be sent with a formal letter bearing the parent’s name and signature.  In addition, the bearer of the letter must carry a legal identification document.

IDU Trip
The M4 will go to West Kili for an interdisciplinary learning expedition from Tuesday November 26th to the 28th. The trip is coordinated by the Mathematics and Science departments. The students will be exploring biomass, temperature and soil quality at various altitudes to see how these affect each other. They will be seeking to establish the relationship between altitude and biomass. They will further establish the correlation between altitude and crop yields. From their analysis of data including rainfall patterns, they will advise Simba farmers accordingly.

May 2020 eAssessment
The M5 candidates’ French Language Acquisition and Arts ePortfolio units from the IB have now been released. These units will form the basis of assessments in these particular subjects for the IB May 2020 examination session.

MYP Service As Action Assembly
We welcome all members of the community to Rafiki Hall on Monday November 18 as from 10:30am to 11:20am. The MYP students will be showcasing their service projects in Rafiki Hall. Service programs in the MYP not only afford students an opportunity to give back to the community but also reinforce students’ ability to apply multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills. They also allow students to practice 21st century skills needed in the modern workplace such as teamwork (collaboration), communication, reflection, research, critical and creative thinking. These programs also build tenacity, resilience, perseverance and mindfulness as they work towards tight deadlines and relish their successes with moderation.

David Ochieng

It has been another action-packed week in school culminating in the festivities of last night.

This week has seen a group of DP students, amongst them quite a number of resident students, from both campuses achieving the ultimate level of their OP experiences by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. The students summited on Thursday morning, and I’m sure that they will all have had a memorable if tiring experience which will stay with them forever.

On Tuesday of this week students participated in NTAA U9 and U11 football games and a Virtual University presentation for DP and M5 took place by the University of Toronto. The continued advancement of electronic technology is helping to bring the outside world into our school and is benefitting our students in so many different ways.

On Wednesday a bake sale was held to raise funds for the Eco-Club who are helping to raise awareness of environmental issues in school.

Yesterday’s events began around 4pm with ‘Trunk or Treat’ activities taking place on the top football pitch. A number of Residential Parents, other school teaching staff and many parents decorated the boots of their cars, dressed up and ran fun games with a Halloween theme for our younger students, who were also invited to dress up in fancy dress. Some of our older DP resident students helped with car boot decoration for this event too.

For our older students there was a rotation of locations at school, Kishari House and the home of one of our school parents. Having chaperoned students going to these places, the students had a great time at all 3 locations.

I must thank all of the staff, students and parents/friends of ISM, including Mr Alastair Coldwell, our Drama Teacher and his team of Theater students, Christine and friends and our Residential Parents and resident students for their hard work in making such a success of this wonderful evening.

Ian Horne

Another eventful week on the UWCEA sports front.  On Tuesday our U9 and U11 teams traveled to Arusha to compete in Football.  The teams are continuing to develop and learn to work together. On Friday, our athletes represented the school well in the NTSAA Primary Athletics Meet held at UWCEA Arusha.  Special mention goes to Townes and his domination in the Long Jump, 800m and 75m races and to Eunice for her super win in the shot putt. Huge congratulations to Milo, Atu, Tiago, Rimon and Alice, who braved the long bus to Arusha for the very first time and did UWCEA proud.  Great determination. Today the secondary students are at UWCEA Arusha for the NTSAA Secondary Athletics Meet with results to be sent next week.

Last weekend Patrick, Delhem, Sil & Maria participated at the Tanzania Open Nationals in Dar es Salaam hosted by IST Masaki Campus. My favourite race though was when our 15 & Under Mixed 200m Medley team took on the TALISS (largest swim club in Dar!) 15 & Over Mixed 200m Medley Team and beat them!! It was an unforgettable event for us. Our small but very fast team brought home 2 gold, 6 silver & 5 bronze medals as well as 2 age group trophies. Maria and Delhem won the 2nd runners up trophy for their age groups: Women 15 & Over and the Men 13-14 respectively.  This week we received fantastic news from TSA! Delhem, Maria & Sil have been selected for the Tanzanian National Team which will swim at the CANA Zone 3 meet in Nairobi at the end of this month. We wish them all the best of luck!!

Next week we have the first official swim meets for the year at SCIS and we wish our team all the best there (and hope we can continue last year’s unbeaten record in MYP and continue with the dominance of the PYP shown at the friendly swim meet earlier this year). Thanks you to all parents and coaches volunteering their time to make the UWCEA Leopard Sharks such a success.

Please note the Monday & Wednesday bootcamp. While all are welcome, donations are encouraged as it is a fundraiser for the Kibo service project.

Go Leopards
Robin Marsh

The PTA Halloween celebrations were definitely the highlight of this week, very “spook-ccessful” I would say. I got the chance to visit the Secondary ones as well and they were amazing! A huge thank you to all the parents and teachers who were instrumental in setting up this great day. We had our Leopards go out twice this week to represent us in Arusha and I would just like to recognize and appreciate the commitment of the children and the parents. Thank you and let us continue to keep the UWCEA flag waving high! Our P3s shared a wonderful presentation on “The Hungry Caterpillar” during Primary Gathering. It was cute to see the EC children involved and the P3s integrated different areas of their curriculum.

This coming week, the children continue with their inquiries and usual program. It is getting warmer during the day, so I would just like to remind you to send your child with a drinking bottle and a hat. Kindly label them for easier identification if it gets misplaced.

Cathy Wambua-Saha

This week saw our first swimming lesson of the year. Thanks to Mr. T, Mr. Sabine and Mr. Emmanuel we have a great ratio of adults to children and huge combined experience of successfully introducing swimming to young children.

Swimming stimulates young children’s senses and is thought to improve brain and emotional development. During exercise the child’s mind is stimulated, promoting further brain development.

Children will often be fearful of water at first. Overcoming that fear can be very empowering, boosting confidence and self-esteem. This newfound confidence will extend to social situations whilst a positive attitude towards physical activity will of course assist them later in life. Swimming can be a great stress reliever. It clears the mind, provides routine and fosters a balanced lifestyle.

Thank you to those of you who have sent in pictures of family pets for our unit. Next week we’ll begin to discuss our favourite pets and how we look after them.

Owain Evans

The children have explored three primary classes, making insightful comparisons and giving their teachers some challenging tasks. ‘EC’s are smaller than us so they need a washroom in their class, but we do not’, said Eefke as she compared our class to the EC classroom. This coming week, they will complete their explorations and begin to set tasks from the information they have collected.

P1s completed their investigations of number bonds for numbers to 10. They spent some time this week creating addition fact families from their investigations and they will continue doing so this coming week. P2s are now getting used to adding two digit numbers without regrouping. Next week, they will be looking at strategies of how to find missing addends.

The children have asked me to invite you to the classroom to look at their pirate and galaxy pictures. They are very proud of them.

Thank you Ms. Kacey for coming in to read to us every Wednesday morning. The children enjoy your visits and the stories you share with them.

Mboka Masongwe

“Yum, yum, but I’m still hungry” or “Oh no! Don’t eat me” I have a strange feeling I shall be waking up saying one of these phrases this weekend! We have worked endlessly this week practicing lines, and doing some last minute adjustments to our “costumes”. All the P3 students have been extremely principled in memorizing their lines and ensuring their fruits are ready to be worn. The P3 students have also been looking at shapes around school and using their knowledge of 2D shape names to identify various things around campus that correlate with a geometric shape.

The students have been introduced to infographics and Powerpoint and are using their research on homes from the past. They have been becoming increasingly confident in being inquirers and fiddling around with the various options available to them to create a slideshow or infographic that will showcase their research.

A big congratulations to all the risk takers in our class who have traveled to Braeburn to play football and partake in athletics this week!

Elisha Jaffer

The children have been busy with different activities. We have attempted to make crystals at home, we made Carbon Dioxide using yeast and water and discussed how different conditions affect matter and materials differently depending on their molecular structure.

We started inquiring about force and energy, looking at how energy is never lost but is transferred from one state to another. We will continue with this strand for the rest of the week and carry out some investigations. In Language we worked in our Literature circles, finding new words, illustrating our thoughts and summarizing. The children are encouraged to pay keen attention to spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation. In Math, we have continued to look at converting units of measurement by multiplying and working out the tables of 2,5 and 10. We have also looked at related words like a product, factor and multiple. In the coming week, they will apply their learning through the experiments they will carry out and will continue to the table of 3 and 4. We will also work on word problems and practice through games.

Cathy Wambua-Saha

The P5 class is studying geometry and learning to identify polygons, lines, and angles. Today, many brains had to work very hard to figure out tangram puzzles. We will revisit it next week, as some thought it was simply impossible. In science, we are looking into animal migrations and creating posters to share to teach one another about the risks, challenges, and opportunities animals face during annual migrations. For language arts, we wrote gratitude letters for someone who made our holiday extra special. Some may be for you, while others are for extended family or friends. Please help deliver the letters to the recipient. Our unit research started successfully, with many students able to interview two or three people to find out your family’s migration throughout history.

Next week, we will be creating family flags. Please help your child think of symbols or colors that represent what is important to your family.

Sarah Brummel

This week the children made mini-rockets  powered by Vitamin C tablets as a means of seeing chemical energy in action. Next week we will be exploring electricity. The children will be building circuits, using bulbs, buzzers and motors. In maths we will continue with our review of addition and subtraction strategies. Our language work has focused on writing up  science activities, learning to use a dictionary efficiently and alliterative writing. We will continue with all of these activities next week. Many of the P6 students had fun at the Halloween celebrations – well done to Julian for winning a prize for his costume! We had a group of athletes head to Arusha that same day for an athletics meet and some of the class will be going to St. Constantine’s on Tuesday for swimming. A reminder that the children have individual log ins for Mangahigh.com if they want to complete any maths challenges at home. Practicing typing skills on https://www.dancemattypingguide.com/ would also be beneficial.

Deborah Mills