Moshi Campus News – 31 May 15

After 23rd May’s successful Graduation Ceremony, you are welcome to browse the many photos that were taken at www.uwcea.org/grad15. Thanks to Elena Gullickson, Annette Wood, Kate Schermbrucker and Eliza Deacon for these pictures.
Many photos of our International Fun Day in April are also available at www.uwcea.org/intday15. Thanks to all who gave us these photos.

It has been the tradition for the students taking drama in M5 to put on performances of short plays in quarter 4. This is a moment to celebrate the MYP Drama experience as the students showcase the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their MYP drama classes. The students display their creative talents in both stage acting and technical support. This is coming up on Wednesday 3rd June 2015 at 7 p.m. in Karibu Hall. The students have prepared the whole process on their own, ranging from sourcing the scripts to casting, directing, stage designing and rehearsing the plays. This year promises a range of genres from comedy to very serious drama; some of which are extracted from such celebrated playwrights as Arthur Miller and Lorraine Hansberry. The M5 drama class welcomes you and your families to celebrate this theatre experience with them. To support a community project, the group is charging a small fee of TSh 5000 for adults and Th 3000 for students and children below 12 years. All proceeds will go towards charity. You are all welcome.

Our Parent Association committee has achieved much this year and has been an active force supporting the campus in many ways. We would like to thank them all for all their work and encouragement and say special thanks to Kelli Gilbert who will be leaving Moshi with her family soon.

Please note that on the last day of term (Wednesday, 17th June) we will be holding a special P6 Ceremony to mark the occasion on which the eldest primary students move to the Middle School. This will be a small but significant event and parents are welcome to attend. The P6 Ceremony will be held as a part of the End of Year Assembly. This begins at 9am in Karibu Hall.

We would request that all the P6 students are in school on that day. This includes for P6 boarders who should not plan to leave school before 10.30am that day. We thank you for your cooperation.

Our primary football and swimming teams had a fabulous time in Dar this weekend. In the morning the 10-12 year olds swam and managed to get a host of medals despite there being quite a few heats and thus fierce competition. In the afternoon we also had equal success with the 8 & 9 year old category with some students getting medals in all their races. In the afternoon a lot of the action was focussed on the sports field where three ISM teams played, two boys teams and one girls team. Some of our younger plays had to rush between the football and their swims, but kept their cool and gave it their best. The boys played very well indeed however this time it was the girls team that made it to the final, coming away with a well-fought 2nd place and medals to match.
Quite a few parents popped by to give their support, for which we were very grateful. A big thanks goes to our parent volunteer coaches, Noah and Nick who have given up their time to tirelessly train the young students towards this event. Both have been enthusiastic and great mentors to the children. A grateful thank you also goes to Ms Annalee for organising the trip! It was a rewarding experience for all the children who blossomed in confidence and a positive attitude throughout the weekend doing ISM proud. All the children will show off their medals at the 5th June gathering this Friday.

Last week P3-P6 children traveled to Kennedy House School for a netball tournament. The children did an excellent job representing our school and received many compliments on their respectful attitudes and behavior.

The P3-P4 team played one game against the Kennedy House students. The game resulted in a 4-4 tie. The children all played very well. Gurtej, Scarlett, and Brian all had goals for ISM.

The P5-P6 team had a definite height advantage over the other teams. They played two games against Kennedy House and St. Constantine’s. They won their game against St. Constantine’s with a score of 8-3. The next game was very well played against Kennedy House, with both teams playing very well. The final was a 3-3 tie. Mapalo scored the majority of the goals, while Navia defended our goal admirably.
I think all the students are looking forward to Kennedy House traveling here on June 10th to play again.

ISM’s youngest campers finally had their turn to camp Thursday night. The P1/2 class camped in the orchard here on campus. Had you been there, you might have heard Jay say, “What a great day for camping!” Or you might have heard Mary in her tent telling her friends, “This is the best day ever!” Or perhaps you would have heard one of the students saying, “Where do I plug in my iPad?”

A good time was had by all, and we would like to thank parent Jeff Bercuvitz for taking the time to join us for a team building exercise early Friday morning. Mr. Anton and Ms. Cici have now recovered from their sleepless night, and they are already looking forward to next year.

We are very pleased to announce that we will be planning for six classes in the primary school on Moshi Campus next school year – an increase from the current five classes. This will allow us to have separate classes for each of the P4, P5 and P6 year groups and will also mean that we can enrol primary children currently on our waiting lists. We now have spaces available for children in all primary classes (except Early Childhood which is full) and in primary boarding. Most of our secondary classes are full.

From August 2015, all students in M4 and above will be expected to have their own laptop and bring this to school. Our minimum requirements for a laptop are as follows:
Operating System: Windows 7 or higher OR Mac OS X 10.6.1 or higher Software: Microsoft Office 2010 or higher AND Anti-virus (with regularly updated files) Battery: On purchase: 4-5 hour battery life Wireless network connectivity
Please note that Android tablets, iPads, Chromebooks, and Windows RT laptops are not capable of running software required by some courses.
From August 2015, all students in M5, D1 and D2 will be expected to have their own graphic display calculator. Classes will be taught using a TI-84 Plus calculator and so it is strongly recommended that students buy this model. TI-84 Plus calculators will be available to purchase in school in August at our cost price (estimated about $160 including import duty and VAT), although families travelling for the holidays may be able to purchase cheaper TI-84 calculators overseas.

In the interests of safety, we provide fire resistant mattresses for all our boarders, so as to minimise danger from any possible fire. Some boarders choose to bring their own mattress from home – please note that this will only be permitted if the mattress carries clear labelling showing that it meets recognised standards for fire safety.

Unfortunately our boarders are calling home often to ask for extra money for various small school expenses and many parents are understandably frustrated by repeated requests. These could be requests for transport costs of an optional sports trip (possibly TSh 20,000/-), costs of an Outdoor pursuits trip, cost of buying an ISM T-shirt or other school endorsed expenses. We will therefore ask parents of boarders to deposit a fixed amount of $500 at the beginning of a school year from which such sums can be deducted. We will keep an accurate record of all deductions which would only be allowed for school endorsed expenses. At the end of the year, the balance can be topped up for the following year or, if your child is leaving, can be refunded to you. In this way, your child will not need to phone you and you will not need to arrange money transfers to meet such extra expenses.

It is coming towards the end of the school year and many of you have made decisions about the next school year. A few of you have confirmed with us that you will be leaving ISM and we sincerely hope that ISM has given the entire family a special and valuable experience. We are very thankful for this support for ISM and for the education that we believe in. We also extend a very warm welcome to our new families who will be joining the ISM community for the first time in August.
While we are very sorry to say such goodbyes, we are also very grateful for the commitment that our returning families continue to give to ISM. Some of our families are committing to a second year at ISM, others are committing for the 15th consecutive year for their child, and indeed other current families have been part of the ISM community for significantly longer. We know that ISM has benefitted in so many diverse ways from its supporters. We hope you feel that ISM has given something back too.
Last month, you received a letter from our Accounts Department with an invoice for payment of next year’s fees. As a not-for-profit Tanzanian organisation, we depend almost entirely on the income generated through tuition fees. It is through such income that we strive to provide the quality education that we passionately believe in. It’s not only an IB education from 3 to 19 years of age. It’s an ISM education and one that we hope makes a difference in the lives of children. Thank you to those who have already paid fees for 2015-16, the first instalment is due by 1st July 2015. For those of you who have not yet paid fees, we look forward to receiving them before this date. Please note that students will not be permitted to start school in August if a minimum of the 1st quarter’s fees have not been received.
We will shortly be appointing somebody to the new position of Fees Administrator. Our Fees Administrator will be working with parents to provide you with better reminders of due dates and he/she will also be working to ensure that all fees are received by the expected deadlines.
Once again, we offer our sincere gratitude for your commitment to ISM, whether you are leaving, starting or continuing with us. Keiron White

(This notice is repeated from last week.) A number of concerns have been expressed within our community of the close juxtaposition of the national elections on 25th October 2015 and the school’s October break. In the light of these concerns, we have decided that it is in the school’s best interests to change the date of the holiday from that previously advertised.
The October 2015 holiday will now be from Friday, October 16th (after classes end at 12:35) to Sunday, November 1st. Boarders should return to school on Sunday, 1st November and classes will restart on Monday, 2nd November. Thus the holiday has been moved forward by one week so that the election date falls in the middle of the holiday. The total number of school days for the school year thus remains almost the same. We do recognise that changing the date at this stage will cause inconvenience for some families, but felt that in current circumstances this was necessary when taking all factors into consideration.
Closer to the time, we will of course be monitoring the local situation in Arusha and Moshi and will make any further decisions if and when necessary.

Coding in Design Design students in M1 to M4 have been engaged in computer programming projects this quarter. Each class has learned more about programming through a variety of different applications. These units have served to introduce students to coding while challenging them to make their own programs. Many of the students have been inspired to start programming on their own as a hobby. For more information on how each class has been learning how to code, follow the links below.

• M1 – code.org
• M2 – Scratch
• M3 – Alice
• M4 – greenfoot.org

Many of our students will be participating in different aspects of next weekend’s Kilimanjaro Tourism and Industry Fair, including the Moshi Club Fun Run.

More details are at www.kilifair.de.

D1 students complete their end-of-years on Monday June 1st. Those who score poorly may have to return for re-sit exams in the days preceding the start of school in August 2015.
As per the ISM DP Retention Policy, “At the end of the D1 year, all full diploma students will be expected to have a minimum of 24 points (obtained by adding the end-of-year examination grades from their six subjects excluding ToK and EE). Any student achieving fewer than 24 points (or fewer than 12 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 24 points (or HL points are below 12), the student will be required to reduce their programme of study.”
D1s will participate in a praxis-oriented Theory of Knowledge/Extended Essay mini-workshop on Friday June 12th, Monday June 15th and Tuesday June 16th. As part of this the D1s will present a summary of their work to date on their Extended Essay.
D1 History students recently participated in a dynamic and engaging student-led Harkness Method (www.exeter.edu/admissions/109_1220.aspx) seminar style discussion on the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962).
DP teachers are deeply involved in marking end-of-D1-year exams and we hope to see most parents at the parent-teacher consultations on Wed June 17th. I cannot overstate how crucial it is that D1 parents attend this meeting.

Unit Of Inquiry It’s been a noisy week in EC! The children have explored the sounds that different materials make in a variety of containers before choosing their favourite to make an instrument. Some children are still in the exploring stage, some are decorating their instrument and some are recording what they used. This will continue into next week. When they are finished we will use the instruments to make a sound story.
We are still inquiring into the following questions; Where does sound come from? Why is sound important to living things?
The children will inquire into natural and man-made sounds, using the sounds they heard on their walk around ISM to get them thinking about where sound comes from. We will also continue to add to our list of how sound is important to us.
Literacy

• Continue to make books based on the story of “Peace at last
• Assessments for end of term reports
• Writing a sound story together

Information for Parents What a busy week. Thanks to everyone for making our camp a great time for the kids. I would also like to thank Baba Tsadia, Mama Chase, Baba Mithra, Baba Tavari, Baba Sahil, Baba Aiden, Mama Jay, and Baba and Mama Noah for coming to our class to tell the children about their jobs. It really added a lot to our unit, and their time is appreciated.
This coming week will be busy as well. We will have a dress-up day on Friday. Children should dress as a wild animal. This is a special day for all of primary, so hopefully your child can participate. I will be gone at a conference for several days. I will be out of class Thursday, June 4 through Tuesday, June 9. Along with Ms. Cici, there will be a substitute teacher. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Literacy Focus for the Week We will have fun this week reading some new books, and doing activities to extend our understanding of the stories. We will also continue to read in our reading groups.
Maths Focus for the Week The Group 1 children will work on finding missing numbers. The Group 2 children will do some work with the fractions 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4.
Unit of Inquiry We will continue to learn about community helpers, and we will study what makes good teams and workers successful. We will compile our interviews of ISM staff members and try to get the children thinking about what type of job they may want to do some day.
What to Bring to School Children need a hat for playtime and a healthful snack every day.
Timetable Monday: Library (return your books) Wednesday: PE (please send proper shoes and house shirt) Thursday: PE (please send proper shoes) Friday: Show and Tell

In English, the students have been explaining causes of waste and pollution as well as what problems are, in turn, caused by this waste/pollution. They have really impressed me this week with their grasp of these issues and by the way they communicated their understandings so clearly in their writing. We have done some water-based experiments; cooling, heating, freezing and evaporating it and measuring temperatures.
In maths we have enjoyed making Venn Diagrams and have been surveying the school community with a variety of environmental-related questions. In unit-groups, the students have been collating and presenting their ideas in a variety of ways. At the end of the week we went on a nature walk and collected leaves of all shapes and sizes. We are currently pressing them and hope that we will be able to use them in our artwork over the next couple of weeks.
This week in English we will be writing explanations for “How to make…” based on our leaf-art creations. This will require the students to choose precise language carefully, and to accompany it with labeled diagrams. In maths we will analyse the survey results and produce a range of graphs based on the data. This will contribute to our Unit of Inquiry work – which the students will practise presenting to each other next week too.
On Friday the 5th June we have a spirit day and are encouraged to Wear It Wild! Please send your child to school dressed up as a Wild Animal. Also on that day there is a PE Assembly in KHall which some of the P3 children are involved in and you are very welcome to come along and watch.
What to bring to school Hat , Water-bottle , Communication book (every day please).
Timetable Monday: PE. Homework will be set. Thursday: PE and Library. Friday: Spelling test. Homework due in. WEAR IT WILD day. PE assembly in the morning.

Information for Parents We had a great week with students beginning to focus on their summative assessments. Students will be thinking about a need or problem that people have and designing an innovation to address it. The final product will be a drawing or model of the innovation and students will write a persuasive speech to convince people to use it.
Language focus for the week This week we will compile our innovator reports into a class newspaper project. We will also work on writing a paragraph that shows emotion without using the feeling word. Last week the students did a great job drawing pictures to illustrate emotions.
Maths focus for the week We are wrapping up our unit on fractions and will move into working with decimals. This will be a good time to review skills before the end of the year. We will investigate how decimals and fractions are similar. We will also add fractions, decimals, and whole numbers to an open number line and add and subtract decimals.
Unit of Inquiry One of our lines of inquiry is based on the Industrial Revolution. This week we will be creating a class timeline of inventions to see how many were created after the Industrial Revolution. We will learn about what the Industrial Revolution is and how it changed people’s lives.
What to bring to school: A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
Timetable: Tuesday: PE (wear trainers and house shirt) Thursday: Library (bring books)     PE (wear trainers and house shirt)

This week children had the chance to interview our leaving Diploma student Sammota Chungu as part of our unit on make good decisions. She kindly agreed to come into class to tell them her story; how she decided at the age of 9 years old that she would go to Harvard. She worked hard in her Tanzanian school and was accepted to join a missionary school. From there she was selected to come to ISM and now she has achieved her dream of being accepted to Harvard on a full scholarship. She told the the P5/6s to believe in themselves, have a vision in mind, respect their parents and teachers, work hard and don’t give up. She encouraged them to achieve success in all areas; not just academics. She was incredibly inspiring and I am delighted that so many of the students have taken her words to heart.
This week the students have been learning about the changes which are happening to their bodies as they go through puberty. We have been reading texts from age appropriate books and websites (www.healthforkids.co.uk, www.kidshealth.org and www.smokesnojoke.org.uk) followed by question and answer sessions, e.g. about bodily changes, feelings, what to expect, the dangers of smoking, the importance of keeping clean and healthy etc). It is perfectly normal for students or this age to be curious and want to know answers. I would encourage parents to have an honest and open dialogue with their children about the changes they are experiencing and what to expect in the next few years. Using the websites listed above can be a good starting point for discussions. In one of our inquiry sessions the students investigated products which they may soon become familiar with e.g. deodorant, period towels, tampons, razors (with the safety guard on) etc. This led to valuable discussion and learning. The students understand that they need to know about the changes happening to both genders because they need to have empathy and understanding of each other as they go through puberty.
Unit: Transdisciplinary Theme: Who we are Central Idea: Our health is affected by the choices we make
Maths focus: Division with a decimal answers.
English focus: Debate. Writing balanced arguments. Reading puberty related texts and articles.
Science focus: Puberty. Systems of the body. Teeth and sugary drinks experiment. Contents of cigarettes experiment.
Monday: Homework will be set | Library session Wednesday: PE lesson for my P5 students (All P6 students will be in M1 for ‘Transition Day’.) Friday: Homework due in | PE lesson

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