Moshi Campus News – 26 May 2013

Dear Parents,

Yesterday we said goodbye to our 22 graduating students of the Class of 2013 in an excellent ceremony – our most important event of the year. The class received advice from our guest speaker Judge Ramadhani, former Chief Justice, and each graduate was introduced individually with a few paragraphs on their successes, quirks and future plans. We thank them for all they have contributed to ISM and wish them all the very best for the future.

This week our M5 students are out of the classroom and spending a week in various workplaces in the region. They will learn how it is to work in a regular job and what some of the expectations are of employees. During the week they will be monitored by ISM staff. We wish thm well for this experience.

The Student Council is enjoying a “Spirit Week” this week and we may see some bizarre costumes around the school. Each day has been designated for a different style of dress as follows:
Monday: Pyjamas
Tuesday: Mix and Match
Wednesday: Crazy Hair Day
Thursday: Business Wear
Friday: Themes chosen by each class

Our M5 students are coming to the end of their IB Middle Years Programme and we mark that transition with a special ceremony for them in Karibu Hall on Friday, 7th June at 2:30pm. All parents and students are welcome to join us for this ceremony. It will be followed by refreshments o the lawn to which the families of the M5 students are invited.

There are no activities or other arrangements for M5 students after their Ceremony. Hence M5 students will receive their school reports on Thursday, 6th June, and will then be expected to leave school with their families after the ceremony on Friday afternoon. We look forward to welcoming most of them back in August when they join the much larger D1 class to start their IB diploma programme.

All students in other classes (except M5 and D2) will finish school on Friday, 14th June. Reports will be issued the day before on Thursday, 13th June. On Friday morning there will be a full school assembly at which we will make some presentations and will also say farewell to our leaving teachers. This will be followed by secondary parent-teacher meetings in Karibu Hall from 10:35am to 12 noon. Students will be free to leave school after 10:15am. Please do not withdraw your children earlier than this as early departures cause much disruption to our end of term plans.

A group of students is undertaking our Outdoor Pursuits trip to Uhuru Peak at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro this week. They will be leaving school on Monday, 27th May and returning on Friday, 31st May. The weather is very cold at the moment near Uhuru Peak with a forecast of -16°C windchill on the night they plan to summit, but with only a dusting of light snow predicted. We wish them well.

Most of our P5/6 students, some of our P3/4s and one P2 student travelled to Dar es Salaam by bus on Friday to participate in the big swimming gala and football tournament at IST. The children did us proud with our 10-11 year olds getting a second place overall in the swimming gala and our 7-9 years coming third overall in their gala. Many schools from all over Tanzania compete in this competition so these were outstanding results. A special mention must go to some of our medallists who shone on the day: Melvin, Christopher, Alicia, Amani, Jerry, Fraser, Sil, Ashraf and Theo. But, it was a team effort so congratulations to all of the team from ISM Moshi!

A special thank you must go to the dedicated staff who chaperoned them this weekend: Miss Jann, Miss Annalee, Mr Scott and Mr Sabini. And last but not least, a giant thank you to Mr Sabini, Mary Fitzpatrick and Miss Jann for their superb swimming coaching, and to Mr Scott for his football coaching and Miss Annalee for her voracious cheering. The group will return to Moshi on Monday.

On Saturday, 1st June, we will again be holding SAT tests in school, which are required by some students for US university admission. These will be followed on Saturday, 8th June by ACT tests which will be taken by a number of D1 students, again for US university requirements.

We are aso advising D1 students who plan to study in the UK to register for TOEFL Internet-Based tests in Dar es Salaam during the June/July holiday. Registrations can be done online, but the tests can only be conducted in Dar, and it advisable to do these during school holidays so as to avoid having to miss school days during the important D2 year.

Students who plan to study in the USA, Canada, or Australia can instead take the TOEFL Paper-based tests which will be hald in ISM in Moshi again in November.

Planned test dates for 2013-14 are as follows:

ACT	SAT	TOEFL PBT
Sep 21 Dec 14 Jun 14	Oct 5 Nov 2 Jun 7	Nov 16

Students must register for tests a minimum of 5 weeks before the test. Those students who wish to register for the ACT test in Setember, will need to do so very soon after returning to school in August.

The ISM Diploma Programme graduation ceremony for the 22 members of the class of 2013 took place on Saturday and by all accounts it was a success. The Fridav evening special Graduation dinner for graduates and their families was equally beautiful. Special thanks goes to Alastair Brandon for his wonderful speeches, Paul Johnson for arranging the Karibu Hall, Anine Pier for setting up the Graduation Dinner, Hazel Ndong for preparing the graduation reception so splendidly and Susan Jacob/Kurt Ebsary for providing fantastic music for these memorable events, as well as the numerous other staff who helped in so many aspects of the event. A special recognition was made at the Graduation dinner on Friday evening to our Head of Campus – Keiron White – who is celebrating that this is the 25th ISM graduating class that he has seen off. We are grateful for his tireless commitment to ISM mission.

Former Tanzanian Chief Justice Ramadhani’s insightful keynote speech at Saturday’s graduation made reference to how fortunate our ISM students to be partaking of today’s “gold standard” globally of secondary education – the IB Diploma program – here in Moshi, Tanzania. Explicitly he referred to our students opportunities are amplified when you compare what the average Tanzanian student experiences. Last week’s shocking article in the East African on the state of education in today’s Tanzanian national schools presented these facts and it is worth not only reading but also sharing/discussing with your DP sons and daughters in the quest for them to imbibe the reality of how lucky they are! Here is the link: www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Spectre-of-poor-quality-education-stalks-Tanzania/-/2558/1856356/-/j2ee84/-/ index.html.

End-of-year-D1-exams finished last Monday and DP teachers are marking the results and then reviewing them with students. We annually examine the D1 grades to see how they match up with the ISM Diploma Policy which states: “At the end of the D1 year, all full diploma students will be expected to have a minimum of 22 points (obtained by adding the end-of-year examination grades from their six subjects excluding ToK and EE). Any student achieving fewer than 22 points (or fewer than 10 HL points) at this stage will be required to take re-sit examinations before the start of the D2 school year in subjects and at times and on dates set by the Diploma Programme Coordinator. If, after the resit examinations, the total points score is still less than 22 points (or HL points are below 10), the student will be required to reduce their programme of study.” By June 12th we will be in communication with students who will, as per the Diploma Retention policy, will need to re-take the exams in August prior to the start of the 2013-2014 academic year.

The annual D1 Group 4 Science project with the theme of the Environment/Sustainability was another great success thanks to the efforts of Physics teacher Jon Bigg, Biology teacher Elly Nkya and Chemistry teacher Rafael Holt. Our talented D1 students prepared an array of fascinating science projects including several with a focus on the precious natural resource commodity that we are fortunate to have in abundance on the slopes of Kili – water.

Yesterday’s NY Times editorial board statement on Exercise and Academic Performance www.nytimes.com/2013/05/25/opinion/exercise-and-academic-performance.html certainly resonates with what we see in our DP students. Please encourage your sons/daughters to aim for the 1 hour a day of physical activity that it suggests is required for young people.

Feel free to write with any questions or concerns about your child in the ISM DP.
Sincerely,
Rick Fitzpatrick – (Diploma Coordinator)

The last week of May is proving to be very eventful for some of our students:
M5 – Finally, our M5 students will be fully engaged in their work place. All arrangements have been finalized and they will all start on Monday except for two of our students who need to be on the field on Sunday. I hope they make the best of this unique opportunity and develop life long skills. I would like to thank all the parents who, though far away have been proactive in helping to find placements for the students and a big thank you to the members of the community who have readily agreed to my request.

M5 Ceremony: This will be held on Friday 7th June at 2:30 pm in the Karibu Hall. After the formal ceremony, there will be refreshments outside the Karibu Hall and parents and teachers and students can have some time to socialize before leaving. M5 boarding students are expected to leave the school with their parents on that day. Froiday 7th June is their official last day at ISM and we look forward to welcome them back in the Diploma programme in August. To those students who will be leaving, we wish them all the best in their new school.

M4 – Ms Reily and I have been meeting with the students regarding their choice of topic for their personal project. Many of our students are very enthusiastic and have already finalized their project and we will meet them before the holidays so that they can plan what they will be doing during that time. As mentioned in my earlier newsletters, they will be expected to have made up their mind on at least one solid topic so that they are able to proceed with their research during the break.

M1 Induction sessions: Every year, we organize two day induction for our P6 students who will be going to M1 next year. This will be held on Monday 3rd June up to 2:00 pm and Tuesday 4th June until lunch time. On the first day, students will have sessions with the MYP Coordinator where they will be introduced to the MYP through several interactive activities. The first day has always proved to be quite exciting for our young students as they can see what they will be put up against in the Middle school. On Tuesday, they will be paired with an M1student and will attend classes with their peers. They will have lunch break as we have in the Middle school at 12:35 and they carry on with their normal primary activities.

As we look ahead at another full week at ISM, I leave you with this thought:
“Far more than our abilities, it is our choices that show who we truly are.” (Unknown)

An excellent week to all!!!
Jaimala Quinlan (MYP Coordinator)

Muffins for Mum – Donuts for Dad Assembly
This special assembly honouring our primary parents will be held in Room 6 at 7.35am on Monday 3rd June. Coffee and tea will be served afterwards and the P6 students will receive their P6 Exhibition certificates.

P6 Transition into M1
The P6 students will be spending two days in the MYP on 3rd and 4th June as part of the orientation process for the start of their time in M1.

Moving Up Day
On Tuesday 4th June, all primary classes from EC to P5 will spend the first hour of the day experiencing what it will be like to be in the next class up.

Early Childhood Preview

Unit of Inquiry
This week we will continue to find the answers to our final question:
“Why is sound important to living things?” So far in class we have come up with many answers; smoke alarms to warn us of the danger of fire, bees buzzing that warn us to keep still or we could get stung, the siren of police cars to tell us that help is on its way. This question also relates to animal sounds so a real focus will be on how animals use their hearing to find food, communicate with each other and escape danger.
How can you help at home?
Listen out for sounds that are important to us: sounds that warn us of danger or help us in some way, and draw your child’s attention to them. Remind your child to share what they have learnt at school (they can draw a picture and you could write a caption or perhaps you could write it down in the communication book) Please share any connections that your child/ren make to our unit of inquiry at any time either by telling me personally or writing it down in our communication book. In the PYP, it is believed that learning takes place best when it is connected to what is genuinely a part of the world around the student. Have fun listening!

We will also:

• Continue to compose musical patterns using percussion instruments.
• Play sound games that involve using the vocabulary of loud, soft, high and low.
• Test the shakers we made and find out which is the loudest/quietest and why.
• Experiment with vibrations!

P1/2 Preview

General Information
3 weeks to go!
Assessments will continue this week as I finalise my end of year reports and also prepare valuable information for class teachers next year.

Papier Mâché
In art we will continue to make papier mâché plates. We still need 3 more plates if anyone has some spare.

Spirit Week
Spirit Week (Mon 27th-Fri 31st) has been organised by the secondary school. Primary children have been asked to join in. Monday is pyjama day! Children can come to school wearing their pyjamas if they wish.

Work Experience Student
We welcome Leo from M5 into our class next week. He is an M5 student on work experience. He will be assisting in P1 and 2 and also in EC to see what it would be like to be an infant teacher.

Homework Packs
This week is the last homework pack. Reading books will continue for another week. Thank you for all the support you have given your children with their learning. Homework is a valuable home-school link.

Language focus for the week
Writing:
Recount of the weekend. Using the language of time. (First…Then I…Next I…Later…At the end). Using adjectives, (amazing, fantastic, wonderful, scary, huge…) This will be an assessed, unaided piece of writing.
Continue Shape Poems.
Write a class book about the different jobs people do around school. (Linked to UOI)
Handwriting: Patterns, writing numerals and a focus on the Zig Zag Letters (v, w, x, z, e, s, f)) Some children are joining letters together.

Phonics:
1. Revise ck.
2. ew as in screw
3. ing as in running

Maths focus for the week
Mental skills will focus on doubles, near doubles and counting on and back. Quick recall of addition and subtraction facts to 10/20. Adding and subtracting 10.
All children will learn about measures. We will use vocabulary related to length, mass and capacity. We will begin to use standard units such as metres, centimetres, litres and kilograms.

Unit of Inquiry
Teamwork: In a workplace people share responsibility towards a common purpose.
Central Idea:
Lines of Inquiry:
1. Importance of working as an effective team.
2. Individual roles and responsibilities.
3. How systems are organised.
We will continue to talk about what makes a team. Can the children think of different kinds of teams? What makes a team effective? We will interview staff around the school to find out about their role as part of the ISM team.

Art – Papier mâché (see the notice above-bring in a plate)

What to bring to school:
A hat for playtime and a healthy snack. (No hat, no play!)

Timetable:
Monday
New reading books and homework packs including spellings issued.
Tuesday
Library (New books can be chosen if there are no overdue books)
PE
Thursday
New reading books issued
Friday
PE
FINAL Spelling test (Hand in yellow homework pack)

P3/4 Preview

Week 8. The end of term is approaching at a rapid rate!
This week we will be having a “Sprit Week” at school where the children are being asked to dress up according to a particular theme each day. It is sure to be lots of fun. We kick off on Monday with “Pyjama Day”.

This is what our learning in class will look like this week:
UOI – “Water, Water Everywhere”
Central Idea: Our planet has limited resources that are unevenly distributed.
Lines of Inquiry: – Finite and infinite resources
– Distribution and availability of clean water
– How human activity has affected the availability of usable water
– The effects of not having access to clean water
– Our responsibility for water conservation
We will finish of our learning activities on the water cycle and look at the distribution of water and how much water is available for our use. We will then think about and discuss man’s impact on how much usable water we have.

Writing – Expressive language. We will finish writing poems about water.
Spelling Groups 1) simple 2 and 3 letter high frequency words (e.g. you, are, had), 2) words ending in -oom, -ass or -ess and -ear (e.g. room, class, less, fear), 3) Words that contain the soft “gi” (e.g. giant, engine), 4) words where the “y” is changed to an “i” along with an -ed, -er, -es or -est (e.g. reply – replied, easy – easier, spy – spies, pretty – prettiest)

Language/grammar – plurals, adjectives and apostrophes .
Cursive writing – Nelson script. Using the full range of letters and joins as well as the break letters.

Maths – P3 Data collection. Bar graphs, Venn diagrams and Carroll diagrams. Recording, reading and interpreting the data.
Tables 2x, 5x, 10x 11x 3x, 4x. Basic facts up to 10/20 (+ and -).
P4 Data collection. Pictographs, Venn Diagrams and Carroll diagrams. Recording reading and interpreting the data.
Tables – 2x, 3x, 4 x, 5x, 6x, 9x, 10x , 11x, 12x . Basic facts up to 20 (+ and -).

REMINDERS:
Every day: Hats and polo shirts/t- shirts
      Zip bags, spelling note books, reading books and reading logs.
      Healthy snack for break time. Lunch if necessary.

MONDAY
Miss Jann away in Dar; Miss Catherine to take the class
Homework – Just spelling and reading this week because of the Dar Gala.
P.E. – wear house t-shirts, shorts and trainers. We will be doing orienteering, so students will need suitable attire and trainers, as we will be running around the school grounds.
TUESDAY
Spelling test for those who were away in Dar last Friday.
THURSDAY
Library – bring book bags and books – No bag, no books. Overdue books incur a fine.
P.E. – bring swimming gear. We swim at the warmest time of the day. I invariably get in the pool with the children and the temperature of the water is still very pleasant.
FRIDAY
Spelling test

Looking forward to another great week together.
Miss Jann

P5 Preview

Maths
This week we’ll focus on area and perimeter and will see if we can work out the areas of tricky shapes.

Language
We’ll be looking at how to skim and scan a text to find the information within it. We’ll also start a diary to record our daily activities and what we eat to see how far from a healthy lifestyle we are.

UOI
This week we’ll be focusing on the digestive system and the respiratory system.