Dear Parents,
Welcome to the start of a new school year – one for which we all have many hopes and goals for success. We are expecting 82 new students to join the campus this school year and, as last year, are full in many of our classes and boarding houses. We look forward to meeting all the boarders on Sunday and for the day students to join us on Monday morning. I wish them all the very best for the year 2014/15.
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Return to School – Boarders
Boarders are asked to arrive in school this Sunday, 10th August. Parents of new boarding students are requested to try to arrive before 3pm if possible to allow your child to settle in to his/her room in the afternoon. There will be a tea in the dining hall from 4pm to which all parents of boarders are invited – this will be an opportunity to meet other families and we will also introduce some of the staff involved with boarding at that time.
If your child is arriving by air and needs transport from KIA or Moshi Airport, please let the Head of Boarding, Rosemary Bango, know this as soon as possible. She can be contacted on or by SMS on 0689 772346. Could you please also let us know if your child may be arriving late for any reason?
I would like to remind you that your child must have a signed Parental Consent form for this new school year. These were emailed to all families early in the holiday and are also available to download from our website at www.uwcea.org/about-us/publications. If you have not yet sent this by email, please ensure that you do so this weekend, or that your child returns with a printed form. Thanks to those families who have already returned all requested forms.
Supper for all boarders is at 6pm, and there will be boarding house meetings for students held from 7pm.
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Start of Classes
We look forward to starting our new academic year with enthusiasm as we get to know our new staff and students. All students should be in school and ready to start classes before 7:30am on Monday, 11th August. There will be a list of students in the breezeway and elsewhere, showing all which tutor groups they are in and where they need to go for the start of school. If your child is new, please do ask anyone for help to ensure that you can find the right room.
The first day of school will be a chance for students to settle back into the routine of school by focussing on their goals, understanding their time-table and school expectations as well as setting good habits for the academic year. All students will begin the day with an extended session with their class teacher or tutor to orient them to the exectations and routines of the campus and of their class. We will have a whole school assembly for all our students at 09.45 with an official welcome from our Director Mr Bob Horton. After break, D2 students will begin regular classes; MYP students will be discussing the seven habits of effective teenagers.
On both Monday and Tuesday, D1 students will be undergoing a special orientation programme prior to their starting formal subject classes on Wednesday morning. Other classes will start formal subject classes on Tuesday morning.
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PYP and MYP Parent Meetings
We will have two information evenings for parents:
MYP Introduction for new Secondary parents – Wednesday, 13th August, 6.30-7.30 pm in Room 16
This is an opportunity for parents new to the MYP to get a better understanding of the curriculum. Our MYP Coordinator, Marika Farrell will give an overview of the MYP and how students are assessed. She will also talk through homework expectations and how you can help your child at home.
PYP Introduction for new Primary parents – Wednesday, 20th August, 6-7 pm in Room 16
Our PYP teachers will be available for an introduction to your child’s new teacher. classroom and curriculum. We will start in Room 15 with a short introduction to the PYP followed by time in the classroom with the teacher.
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Laptops and Calculators
D1: Calculators: This is a reminder that all students joining D1 must have a graphic display calculator. The school teaches using the TI-84 Plus calculator and this is the model that we strongly recommend. If your child has not net obtained one, they may purchase a calculator in school at a cost of TSh 246,000 or US$ 148 – this is the cost price to the school including import duty and VAT. To pay for your child’s calculator, you may either:
- Send TSh 250,000 by M-Pesa to 0767 534766 (please follow up with a text to identify which student this is for), or
- Pay either TSh 246,000 or US$ 148 directly to the school’s bank account. Please scan and email the paying-in slip to , or
- Pay US$ 160 by Visa or Mastercard online or by Paypal at www.uwcea.org/paypal. (Note: the extra amount charged is to cover Paypal charges), or
- Pay in cash in the school accounts office in Moshi or Arusha.
Please contact me, Keiron White, on if you have any questions.
M5 to D2: Laptops: All students in M5, D1 and D2 are required to bring laptops to school to use in class.
Students in other secondary classes may also bring laptops, but this is not a requirement. Computers are available in the IT Centre for M1-M4 students to use.
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School Fees
The first instalment of the school fees for this school year was due to have been received by us on 1st July 2014. If you have not yet made arrangements for payment, you can expect your fees to be surcharged by 10% for late payment. Please do make arrangements to make all necessary payments as quickly as possible to avoid surcharges or to avoid your child being excluded from school.
Please note that a few families still have fee arrears from the 2013/14 school year. If you are in this position, your child will not be allowed to start school this quarter, unless you have agreed an alternative payment calendar with the school.
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Student Enrolment
Most of our classes are now full for the new school year, but we do have a small number of places remaining in P3, M1 and D1. There are a few boarding places available for girls. If you know of families who wish to enrol their children, please ask them to contact me and, if no places are available, I can place their children on a waiting list to join if a child leaves the school. Places are available for MYP and Diploma students on the Arusha Campus.
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Secondary Sports
We are looking forward to another successful year in sports here at ISM Moshi Campus. The schedule of sports on offer will be ready at the beginning of this week, and students will begin online sign-ups through Google Docs, beginning on Tuesday. All sports practices will begin the week of Monday, August 18th.
- All students must sign up for at least 1 sports club/team per semester.
- Students must attend their sport every practice, otherwise a detention will be given. If students are unable to attend due to illness, they must themselves find the coach before practice begins, and let them know. If students are unable to practice due to injury, they should still attend. They can participate in other ways such as refereeing, or helping out.
- Sports run from 4:30-6:00pm from Monday to Thursday. Some sports train at other or additional times. Students must come on time. Three lates to practice will also equal a detention. If students are participating in a CAS activity that runs late, he/she may need to make a different sporting commitment.
- Students should come for sports dressed in appropriate sports clothing that is needed for that sport. For example, Football – shin guards, cleats. Basketball – shoes with good ankle support.
- Students who are selected to represent the ISM team in games, competitions and tournaments must be prepared to be committed for the entire season; both in time and with financial commitments. Students will only be selected for teams if they attend practice regularly, are at the appropriate skill level, and are in the appropriate age group.
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Sports – Coaches Wanted!
We are looking for people in the ISM Community who would be willing to coach sports at either the Primary or Secondary level. If you have any interest and/or experience, we would love to have you join our program.
Generally our sports program runs from 2:00-3:00pm (Primary) and from 4:30-6:00pm (Secondary) from Monday to Thursday. However, we are also open to other times (mornings or weekends) if that works better for you. If you can help us out, please contact Marika Farrell at .
Thanks!
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Bolton Wanderers Football Clinic
We are looking at bringing a group of Bolton Wanderers Football Players to ISM Moshi in August, to run a 3 day football camp!
When: August 22-24, 2014
Where: ISM Moshi Campus Football pitches
Cost: $150.00/player
Who: Anyone interested in playing football (M1-D2)
If you are interested in your child participating in this camp, please let me know. You will need to confirm your participation and cost payment, within the next week. We need to have a minimum of 20 players for the clinic to happen.
Such a great opportunity! Please let me know if you have any questions!
Marika Farrell .
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Outdoor Pursuits
ISM is excited to offer a range of Outdoor Pursuits (OP) trips for this semester. We hope that all students from M1-D2 will join our programme, and challenge themselves in the great outdoors of the Kilimanjaro Region.
At ISM, we offer a 5 level programme, where each student (and teacher) must complete each level of the programme, before moving up to the next level. Our OP store has lots of equipment to lend (tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, flashlights, hiking boots, rain jacket and pants, etc.), so we can help your child to be prepared for the trips.
Here are the trips on offer this semester:
Trip | Level | Dates | For: |
Campcraft | 0 | August 23-24 | M1 only |
Mandara Hut | 1 | November 1-2 | M1 students who have successfully completed campcraft |
Pare Mountains | 1b | September 20-21 | M2-D2 (starting level for new students in these grades) |
Usambara Mountains | 2 | December 4-7 | Students who have completed level 1, and M1 students who have completed level 1 and 1b. |
Base of Mawenzi | 3 | November 13-16 | Students who have successfully completed level 2. |
Rongai Route | 4 | November 6-9 | Students who have successfully completed level 3. |
Uhuru Peak | 5 | November 19-23 | Students who have successfully completed level 4. |
Sadly, costs have risen quite significantly in the national parks and we will therefore be charging the following amounts for the trips. Day students have an additional charge to cover the cost of food. Non-Tanzanians are charged significantly more than Tanzanians in the national parks, even if they are resident students.
Trip | Tanzanians | Non-Tanzanians |
(Prices in TSh) | Boarders | Day Students | Boarders | Day Students |
Campcraft | Charges yet to be confirmed |
Mandara Hut | 82,000 | 94,000 | 196,000 | 208,000 |
Pare Mountains | 90,000 | 102,000 | 90,000 | 102,000 |
Usambara Mountains | 182,000 | 230,000 | 182,000 | 230,000 |
Base of Mawenzi | 193,000 | 229,000 | 434,000 | 470,000 |
Rongai Route | 250,000 | 286,000 | 450,000 | 486,000 |
Uhuru Peak | 318,000 | 366,000 | 624,000 | 672,000 |
Note that the above charges for non-Tanzanians are for students who have a residence permit. Please scan and email your child’s residence permit to so that we can print this and your child can carry it on the trip. If you child is not Tanzanian and does not have a current residence permit, they will be charged considerably higher fees than those above.
Next week, we will have an online sign-up through Google Docs. Please note that we only have a limited number of spots available for each trip. Payment MUST be made in order to hold your spot. Payments can be made in cash to the school accounts office, through M-Pesa to 0767-534766, or by direct bank payment to a school bank account.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the OP Program, please contact me directly at
Regards,
Mr. Isaac Foya
OP Coordinator
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Secondary CAS Activities
On Tuesday afternoon, all secondary students will have the opportunity to choose their CAS [Creativity, Action and Service] activities for this semester at a fair in Karibu Hall. CAS activities will start from Monday, 18th August.
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Primary Clubs
Every quarter we run a range of clubs for our primary students from 2-3pm Monday – Thursday. Each day-student will be able to do 2-3 clubs throughout the week. We try to offer different kinds of clubs including sports and creative activities which are partly run by our primary teachers. However, in order to provide a variety of clubs, we do need to use other people such as teaching assistants, parent volunteers and outside organisers to run the clubs. If you are interested in running a club and have the time and commitment for 7-8 weeks for this quarter then please email me on – please send me an email by Monday 11 August if you can offer an activity.
On a very few occasions we have outside school leaders who ask for payment. For example in Q2 we will be offering ballet, however a fee for this club is required to pay the teacher. Also some clubs require a additional payment for specialist resources, such as Brownies. These extra costs will be stipulated clearly before a child commits to a club.
Students may stay at school at lunchtime, either bringing in their own lunch or purchasing a ticket in advance for lunch in the dining-hall. Supervision is provided during this hour. Students should be picked up promptly at 3pm.
Signing up for clubs will take place via a Google Doc sign-up form. A separate email with this link will be sent to parents once the primary programme has been created.
Totty Aris (Deputy Head of Campus)
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from the PYP Coordinator
Greeting from the new PYP Coordinator:
After several months of patiently waiting I have finally arrived in the beautiful region of Kilimanjaro and seen the ISM Moshi Campus for myself. It was everything I was expecting – beautifully landscaped grounds and a very warm welcome from the people here.
This is a very exciting time to join the Primary School at ISM because of the setup of an almost all new team of experienced teachers. It has been an absolute pleasure to meet and work with them over the past ten days. They have all come highly recommended from some excellent primary schools around the globe and have already demonstrated their enthusiasm and energy to get started.
After meetings and time spent planning and preparing our classrooms, we are now very much looking forward to meeting the students and getting started with our new units of inquiry.
Important Notices:
- 20th August at 6pm – ‘Get to know the Teacher’ Primary Parent Meeting. We will start in Room 16 and then move to your child’s classroom. We know you are keen to meet with the new teachers, but we would ask that you kindly allow them a few weeks to settle in and get to know the routine before you seek further individual appointments.
- Clubs start on Monday 18th August.
- Primary homework starts on Monday 25th August. In the meantime please ensure students are reading regularly each evening.
Primary Sports Kit – Please could students wear the following to sports lesson:
- Suitable sturdy sports/running shoes, e.g. lace up or Velcro
- House t-shirt
- Sports shorts
- Cap or hat
Primary Swimming Kit – Please could students bring the following to swimming lessons:
- Swimsuit
- Towel
- Flip flops
- Goggles
- Armbands if required
- Hair tie for long hair
Kate Schermbrucker – (PYP Coordinator)
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Middle Years Programme
The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Curriculum that ISM offers for our students in M1-M5. On Wednesday August 13, we will be hosting an Introduction to the MYP Programme. This will be held in Room 16, at 6:30pm, and will be for any new parents of students coming into M1, or parents new to the MYP Programme. Of course, we also welcome any returning families with any questions or concerns about the MYP programme.
Throughout the year, teachers will be adding articles and photos to this section of the newsletter, with exciting things that are happening in their classroom. If at any time you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s understanding or performance in the MYP, please feel free to contact me at . You can also pop in to see me on campus, my room number is 8b. Best regards, Marika Farrell, (MYP Coordinator)
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Calendar 2014/15
The school’s planned events for 2014/15 are published on the ISM Public Calendar. You can view this on the website at www.uwcea.org/moshi-arusha/google-calendar/, or can add our calendar to your device by selecting this Google calendar which is owned by intsmoshi@googlemail.com. (Please do not use this address for email).
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Self-Study Late Starts
During the 2014/15 school year, we will be undertaking a thorough Self-Study of our school to analyse in detail all our strengths and weaknesses and help us plan for improvement. This self-study process will last about one year and is a pre-requisite for our full accreditation in 2015/16. In order to facilitate the large amount of work that this will entail, we have scheduled four days next school year when we will start classes later than normal. On 28 October 2014, 28 January 2015, 5 March 2015 and 27 April 2015, we will start classes at 10:35. Teachers will be engaged in meetings relating to the self-study in the mornings on those days. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to families, but hope that the early notice will help with arrangements.
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Teachers’ Orientation
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Diploma News
ISM DP faculty members have had a productive several days of teacher orientation meetings and are looking forward to starting the 2014-2015 school year.
Re-take exams occur on Saturday August 9th and Sunday August 10th for some class of May 2015 students (D2s we call them.) who did not perform at their best level in the end-of-D1-year exams.
A jam-packed, fun, engaging and productive orientation program will take place on Monday August 11th and Tuesday August 12th for the members of the incoming group of ISM DP students. Please note that on both Monday and Tuesday there will be an educational activity for all D1s and this will extend until from 7:00-8:30 pm so D1 day students should make proper arrangements to attend these key events in the orientation.
D2 students will present the 4,000-word draft of their Extended Essay (EE final draft) very soon. Hence, the upcoming two weekly meetings in the Tuesday Guidance Hour with the EE Supervisors will be critical. During the two-month holiday break class of 2015 ISM DP students (should have!) researched and written all of their EE.
A reminder to DP parents that class lesson time is sacrosanct. Firstly, every class lesson day is key. Hence, around holiday time please do NOT have them arrive late or remove them . Secondly, visit ISM, if possible, once per semester and more if feasible, to get a first-hand sense of your child’s progress. I cannot overstate enough the importance of you doing this for your child’s success.
You too might find this article on Anxiety in Teenagers informative – www.uwcea.org/dip29.
This article provides interesting stats on the May 2014 IB DP exams and the growth of the IB – www.uwcea.org/dip30.
The increasing value of the IB DP (in comparison to the Australian public curriculum) is presented here www.uwcea.org/dip31.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Rick Fitzpatrick – DP Coordinator
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Early Childhood
Dear EC Parents,
My name is Annalee Horton and for those who don’t know me I will be your child’s teacher in EC this year. I am really looking forward to beginning my third year at ISM and meeting all the new children as well as welcoming back those who were in EC last year. We will start the school year off with 19 students in the class!
In the first few weeks of school, I will be getting to know your child and finding out where they are both socially and in their learning. We will be playing games to get to know each other, we will set up classroom agreements so that we can play and learn safely and fairly and we will be painting a self portrait for our welcome display. We will get to know the different areas of the classroom and the school.
Our first Unit of Inquiry is under the transdisciplinary theme of ‘Who we are’. Our central idea is “We are alike and different in many ways.” I will be talking more about the unit at our meeting on August 20th as well as giving you more details about the programme and how you can be a part of your child’s learning this year.
Please could I ask that you send in the following on Monday;
- A complete set of spare clothes in a named bag.
- A named hat that can be left at school.
- A pair of indoor shoes/slippers that can also be left at school.
- A healthy snack and a water bottle
- A back pack big enough for snack, drink and communication folder
Please note that the ISM uniform of a school T-shirt does apply to EC and should be worn everyday for school, apart from PE days when your child should wear their house T-shirt. Please ask if you are not sure of your child’s house. T-shirts can be purchased in the main office. Please don’t worry about your child wearing their school T-shirt for the first few days of school if you have not been able to purchase these in advance.
Just a reminder that the school day for EC finishes at 11.15am
Many thanks and I look forward to seeing you on Monday at 7.30am
Annalee Horton
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P1/2 Preview
Information for Parents
Hello! My name is Larry Anton, and I am looking forward to a new school year teaching P1/P2. I am excited to meet both you and your child on Monday. I’ve just arrived in Moshi, and I’ve enjoyed getting settled in and meeting the staff at ISM. It appears I am going to be lucky to work with a great staff including my teaching assistant Cici, and I am looking forward to making this a successful year for your child.
Language focus for the week
Talk about your holiday. Write phrases and sentences about your holiday. Work with rhyming words, handwriting patterns, and listening to lots of stories.
Maths focus for the week
Create pictographs about yourself and your classmates. Count by 10s, 5s, and 2s.
Unit of Inquiry
Our first Unit of Inquiry is “My Family”. We will learn about what makes a family, and what makes families different around the world. We will study family traditions and holidays.
Draw and paint self portraits.
What to bring to school: A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
Timetable:
Monday
Library (we will choose new books)
Wednesday
PE (wear PE shoes and a house T shirt if you have one, I will inform new children which house they are in on Monday)
Thursday
PE (wear PE shoes and a house T shirt)
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P3 Preview
Hello! Welcome to P3. My name is Sarah Ssengendo and I am the P3 Class teacher this year. I come from the south-west of England, and have over 12 years of experience teaching Primary students in the UK, Uganda and Romania. I am very happy to be here in Moshi with my family, and I am looking forward to a fun and successful year at ISM.
This week we will be getting to know each other in the P3 classroom, as well as getting comfortable with the rules and routines that are so essential for effective learning. The children will be bringing home a Homework, Reading and Contact Book which will include a timetable, although we will not necessarily be following the timetable rigidly during the first week. Please provide your child with a sunhat and water-bottle (which will be sent home periodically for a wash), as well as a daily snack for day students. I would also encourage you to name your child’s items to help them keep track of their personal possessions whilst in school.
I look forward to meeting you all next week and I wish you a pleasant weekend,
Ms Sarah
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P4/5 Preview
Information for Parents
Hello! My name is Jennifer Anton, and I will be the new P4/5 teacher. I am excited to get to know both you and your children in the coming weeks. I’ve just arrived in Moshi, and I’ve enjoyed getting settled in and meeting the staff at ISM. Amen, the teaching assistant, and I have been busy preparing the classroom for the arrival of the students on Monday. We are looking forward to a great year of teaching and learning!
Language focus for the week
We will be reading a lot of books and begin learning about different genres of literature. We will not begin our spelling and vocabulary words until next week.
Maths focus for the week
This week I will be doing some math assessment activities with the children so that I can see what they already know. Our first math topic will focus on place value.
Unit of Inquiry
We will begin our Unit of Inquiry on Thursday. The central idea is: The Earth’s physical geography has an impact on human interactions and settlement. This week will be spent tuning in and finding out the prior knowledge that students have about the central idea.
What to bring to school: – A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
Timetable:
Tuesday
PE (wear PE shoes and a house T shirt if you have one, I will inform new children which house they are in on Monday)
Thursday
PE (wear PE shoes and a house T shirt)
Library (we will choose new books)
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P5/6 Preview
For the first three days we will all be settling into our classroom and routine and getting to know each other properly. We will ensure that everyone feels welcomed and that they know their way around campus.
New Unit of Inquiry – Our personal histories affect our world view. Unit of inquiry work will start on Thursday. This first unit lasts until 19th September.
Maths: Maths lessons will take place first thing each morning. This week we will have ‘fun maths’ in order to wake up our brains after the holidays and some pre-assessment in order for the teacher to gauge our areas of strength and weakness.
Language: The students will complete some pre-assessment in order for the teacher to gauge ability and particular areas of strength and weakness.
Library: Sessions will be held on Mondays.
Swimming: Lessons will be held on Wednesdays. Please bring appropriate kit.
P.E./Sport: Lessons will be held on Fridays. Please bring appropriate kit.
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CONTACT US
International School Moshi
PO Box 733 Moshi, Tanzania
Tel: +255 27 2755005
Fax: +255 736 605320
Email:
Mobile: +255 767 534766 |
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