Moshi Campus News – 19 Mar 15

Saturday 21st March – 10am to 1pm
A group of diploma students will wash your car for you this weekend. Just bring your car to the school car park on Saturday morning between 10am and 1pm. They are raising money to produce a film designed to raise awareness of elephant poaching. “We believe that a few of us can still make a difference in the already bleak situation. Money is the root of many of the world’s problems but in many ways it is also the solution to many problems.”. A car wash will cost a donation of TSh 10,000 for this cause.

Last month the P5/6 students took action by creating persuasive posters for Marlies Gabriel to take to a conference aimed at protecting Africa’s elephants. You may have seen the colour photocopies of these posters outside our classroom. Marlies is the mother of one of our students (Donyo) and feels passionately about these giants of Africa. This is what she had to say about the conference: “I am just back from a successful exhibition show at the WELIOS Science Centre in Wels, Austria. The exhibition is called, Rediscover Elephants, and showcases the current and brutal plight of the survival of our elephants as well as the necessity for elephants to stay alive: for the economy, for the ecosystem and for our very own personal souls.
The city built their very own ‘Sparkling Elephant’, called ‘SATAO’ (Note: the Sparkling Elephant Project (SEP) was founded in Tanzania and is now in the process of being launched globally!) The SEP of Tanzania is called ‘Mwalimu’. The organisation with whom we (The Elephant Embassy, Tanzania) co-shared the exhibition in Wels, Austria is also called SATAO – sustain the global ecology.
There were 32 information boards showcasing the plight and threat towards elephant conservation as well as the importance of keeping elephants safe and alive! Three of the information boards were covered with the striking and very informative posters made by P5/6! This was an appeal by the students from ISM Moshi to the students of Wels to lend their support to protect the African elephant.
There are currently two requests for the show to go on tour to the Austrian National Parks and around the local schools. I will keep you posted on the tour of the ISM elephant awareness campaign posters of P5/6.”

From Friday, 20th March to Thursday, 26th March, our M4 and M5 students will be undertaking formal assessments in all their subjects. They will therefore be following a special timetable during this period, with times for formal exams and times for preparation.

This weekend’s planned trip to Mandara Hut has been changed due to low student enrolment. As an alternatve, a trip will be going to the Pare Mountains on Saturday and Sunday, 21st and 22nd March.

Every year our Diploma Visual Arts students offer an exhibition of their work. If you can get the chance to see this, please do so as it clearly demonstrates the talents of our D2 students. The Diploma Art Exhibition is open to all in Karibu Hall on Monday, 23rd and Tuesday 24th March.

On Monday 23rd March the whole of primary will be participating in a Sports Jamboree of fun sports games. Parents are very welcome to come along and see the fun out on the field 10.30-12.30 pm. Please ensure your child is wearing their house T-shirt that day.
Please note that if it is raining on Monday morning, we may need to cancel this event.

Primary Student-Led Conferences On Thursday 26 March we will be holding our Student Led Conferences in our Primary School. This is a chance for you to share their learning journey through their Student Portfolio. It is a great opportunity for you to ask questions about your child’s learning and gain an in-depth understanding of what they do at school. Each Student Led Conference is 15 minutes long. This is entirely student led; the class teacher will be present in the classroom, however this session is about your child showing you their work.
Please note: There will be no formal classes or clubs for primary students on Thursday 26 March. (Clubs continue until Tuesday 24 March). Your child will come with you to school and then go home with you. If your child has a sibling in another primary class, we will try to arrange the times close to each other.
Primary Clubs Clubs finish on Tuesday 24th March, a new clubs online form was sent to you earlier this week, please submit your form as quicly as possible so that your child has the best chance of getting their first choices.
Secondary Reports All students in M1 to D1 will receive interim reports this quarter to give you an indiation of their performance during this semester to date. Full reports will be issued in June. D2 students will receive a full report this quarter. Secondary reports will be printed and issued to students on Thursday, 26th March. If you would like to receive a digital copy of your child’s report, please email Totty Aris on . Digital reports will be emailed from Friday, 27th March.
** I am sorry that we will be unable to issue reports to students whose Q3 fees have not been fully paid.
Secondary Parent-Teacher Conferences All teachers will be available in Karibu Hall on Friday, 27th March from 10:35am to 12 noon to meet with arents and discuss their child’s progress. We would encourage as many parents as can do so to attend these consultations.
End of Quarter Assembly Friday March 27 is our final day of the quarter. We will have our usual assembly in Karibu Hall at 9:00 where awards, prizes and commendations of quarterly events are presented along with some musical presentations by the students. Students are free to travel home after the assembly which will finish at about 10:15.
Boarders’ Travel We would once again request that your children do not leave school before the end of the quarter unless this is absolutely necessary. Parents of boarders are asked to ensure that you have informed your child’s boarding parent of his/her travel arrangements. If your child will need transport to Kilimanjaro Airport, please arrange this as soon as possible with Rosemary Bango on . If booking air tickets, please remember that boarders should return to school on Sunday, 12th April.

On Wednesday, 25th March at 6:30pm there will be Primary Informance (Informative Performance) in Karibu Hall. All of the primary classes are preparing to present to you that evening. The event will last about one hour, so please come and join us.
If you are able to help by baking some items to be sold at this event, please contact the Parent Association on

We come to the end of yet another quarter, and it is the time to think of how the boarders will get back home. As you are all aware, school closes for the Easter break on Friday, 27th March at 10.15. Boarders are expected back to school on Sunday, 12th April, ready to resume classes on Monday, 13th April. We would therefore wish to remind parents to inform us of the holiday travel plans for the boarders if they have not already done so. We thank those parents who have already given us travel plans, or have sent tickets to us. In case you have not done so, please do so.
Information can be sent to the Head of Boarding the email address – . She can also be reached on telephone number +255 689 772 346.
The school provides transport to Moshi town and to Kilimanjaro International Airport on both the closing and opening day. Transport to Moshi town is not charged. However, we charge $30 one way for transport to/from KIA on those days (27 March/12 April). A student travelling on other days will be charged $60. Kindly let the Head of Boarding know in good time if your child will require transport to/from KIA.
Boarders may only carry they luggage the need for the two weeks. The boarding houses will store safely any personal effects that students do not wish to bring home.
A number of boarders have brought bicycles to school. The school is encouraging the use of helmets for all those with bicycles. This is especially important for those in the cycling club who cover long distances. We therefore encourage parents who buy bicycles for their children to remember to buy them helmets. Happy Easter break, Head of Boarding, Rosemary Bango

On Thursday, 26th March, a group of students from both campuses will be leaving for Switzerland where they will be enjoying the ski slopes over the following few days. They will return to Tanzania on 5th April.

The Parents’ Association is organising an International Fun Day on the Moshi Campus on Friday, 17th April (the first Friday after we return from the holiday) from 3pm to 7pm. We look forward to many families joining us for food, music and other events.

We have had a great Book Week this week which began with the assembly on Monday morning. Here are some photos from Monday.
 

We are developing our contact details for every family and soon hope to be able to send urgent messages to parents via SMS. Please ensure that your contact details with the school are up to date. These can be changed quickly online at www.uwcea.org/contactdetails. If you haven’t updated your details recently, please do so NOW!

I will be away from school for the week of March 20th – 27th whilst co-chairing an accreditation visit to a school in Lusaka. During my absence Totty Aris will act as Head of Campus. Keiron White, Head of Campus

D2 students have their May 2015 exams in less than two months and the IB official exam schedule is as follows: www.uwcea.org/dip77.
We hope to see many DP parents at the P/T conference on Fri March 27th.
D1 Life Skills classes examined the research and writing process as part of their preparations as they embark on their Extended Essay. Parents (and students) are encouraged to collaborate in this endeavor. An array of effectively organized, free e-resources for this EE process are available through the United World College of Southeast Asia’s website: www.uwcea.org/dip76.
The ISM DP class of 2017 which will start in Aug 2015 has 47 registered students at this stage. Never before have our slots been filled so early. Our excellent reputation, well-qualified faculty, super sports and outdoor pursuits programs, beautiful campus, as well as our caring, dedicated and competent staff especially in the boarding team led by Ms Rosemary Bango (in addition to our highly capable leadership team) all explain in my view why we are now viewed so favorably as the best DP program in East Africa. Word of mouth is essential for our continued growth (which enables us to further enhance our program.)
If you know someone who would like to enroll in the DP class of 2017, ask them to contact our Head of Campus Mr Keiron White soon or they will have to be placed on the waiting list. Two exceptional members of the incoming class are Angel Mcharo (from St Francis Girls’ Secondary School, Mbeya) and Elias Kalembo (from Feza Boys, Dar). Each has been awarded a full scholarship following a rigorous interview process. Both are among the very top academic achievers in the countrywide October 2014 national exams!
After the upcoming break, we recommence classes on Monday April 13th (and boarders return on the 12th) . Please ensure that your son/daughter returns on time.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns about your child in our ISM IB DP. Sincerely, Rick Fitzpatrick – DP Coordinator

Events in the last week of the Quarter

• On Monday I will take the class to the IB Diploma Art show in Karibu Hall. We also have an exciting morning of Inter -House games lined up for the children to participate in.
• We are looking forward to showing you what our music lessons have been like this quarter on Wednesday 25th at 6.30pm in Karibu Hall.
• The student led conferences are on Thursday 26th March. There will be no regular school on that day but the children should come at their appointment time to lead you through their portfolio and other class activities. Please try to read the leaflet sent home about the conference and bring it with you when you visit the classroom with your child.
• On Friday 27th March; school will end immediately after the Final assembly at about 10.15am. If you are going to the Secondary Parent conferences we are happy to look after your child during this time.

We had a great book character day. Thanks for helping your child with the costume. It was really a special day.
Next week is the last week of the quarter, so the schedule changes a bit. Here are the highlights:

• Primary Inter-house Games – please have your child wear his/her house shirt
• field trip to TPC on Tuesday, 24 March – please send snack, water, and have your child wear good shoes to walk through the fields
• no homework or spelling this week
• Wednesday and Thursday primary clubs will not meet
• Music Department “Informance” at Karibu Hall at 6:30 p.m. – your child will be performing and should wear a colorful top and black or dark trousers or skirt – please have your child to Karibu Hall by 6:20
• no school on Thursday – student led presentation of portfolios – time will be assigned
• children are dismissed for the holiday at 10:15 a.m. on Friday

Thank you for all the costumes on Monday. The Book Character costume parade was a colourful event. Thanks also to Ms Kasey and Dominics’ Mum who were our mystery readers. The children have enjoyed listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, written by Roald Dahl, this week and have completed work on totaling costs of chocolates, discovered how chocolate is produced and invented their own imaginative Wonka treats. Of course, we greatly look forward to our camping trip tomorrow and Friday.
Next week: Monday: Interhouse Sports Fun Day. Children will need House Tshirts and running shoes, as well as sunblock, sunhat and waterbottles. No homework will be set this week. Tuesday: Last day of clubs. Wednesday: Musical Informance, starting at 6:30pm. Thursday: Student Led Conference Day. Friday

Information for Parents I can’t believe we are already at the end of the 3rd quarter. The end of the school year will be here before we know it! This will be a busy week as we have several events planned. Wednesday evening we will have our music informance. I have seen some of their songs and am looking forward to hearing more.
Monday we will have a primary house inter-competition after break time. Please make sure that your child is wearing trainers, a hat, and their house t-shirt on Monday. There is no school on Thursday, March 26th so that you can attend your child’s student led conference. They are looking forward to sharing their learning with you.
Language focus for the week We will practice our communication skills as students work together to practice and prepare for our student led conferences on Thursday. We will continue to work on reading strategies for nonfiction books related to the human body as well.
Maths focus for the week The children are enjoying our unit on probability as they explore this topic. We are playing many games and determining whether or not they are fair. We will be working on designing our own fair game next week using coins, dice, or spinners.
Unit of Inquiry Our interactive notebooks are filling with facts about the human body. For our summative assessment students will be choosing a body system to research and teach to someone. Thank you to those who have been students for the homework this week. It is good practice for their summative assessment task. We will reflect on the body systems that we have learned so far and discuss what we still want to learn.
What to bring to school: A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
Timetable: Monday: Primary Inter-house competition Tuesday: PE (wear trainers and your house shirt) Thursday: Student Led Conferences

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