Moshi Campus News 16 Apr 2016

Dear Parents,

We are very pleased to be welcoming the CIS, MSA and IB Accreditation Team visitors to the school this week. It will be a busy week, but is also promising to be extremely valuable as we will get an objective view of all our strengths and our areas for development. We look forward to meeting our evaluators and benefiting from their expertise.

On Monday, 18 April, our Language Acquisition department will be celebrating the language learning across the school. Parents are most welcome to join us in Karibu Hall 07.35-08.15 for this whole school assembly.

Also this week we will celebrate the successes of our sports men and women over this year at the Sports Banquet on Thursday evening. And Friday is a big day for our D2 students as they have their last ever school class – they can sometimes get a bit over enthusiastic in their celebration of this event, and this year they will be enjoying a restaurant meal together on that day.
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Sports Banquet
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D2 Classes
Our D2 students are now in their final week of formal classes and Friday, 22nd April will be their last day ever of formal school classes. The D2 students are planning a class lunch on Friday to celebrate. They then have a week of private study time before the exams begin. During the Study Week, day students may stay at home to study if they wish, or they may come to school to meet with teachers for advice. All D2 teachers will be available at the normal D2 class times and at pre-arranged alternative times to help students in their preparation. Boarders may remain in school and study in their bedrooms but, if they choose to do so, they will be expected to follow normal wake-up and curfew times, attend all meals, and meet regular school expectations. Boarders may also choose to return home for the study week – in this situation, we request that parents inform your child’s boarding parent of any travel plans well in advance.
Formal diploma exams begin on Monday, 2nd May.
20th May: Diploma Exams end 20th May: Dinner for D2 Graduands, their parents and teachers 21st May: Graduation Ceremony at 2pm in Karibu Hall, followed by tea.
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Private Parties
Although the school organises celebrations for the D2 graduation, the students have usually additionally opted to arrange their own private parties off-campus. These are likely to be on 21st May after the official ceremony. These student-organised parties are not school events and we cannot, as a school, take responsibility for them. Invariably, there is alcohol available at these parties and minimal, if any, adult supervision. We are concerned about the inevitable, and potentially serious risks that arise from these situations, particularly for many of the younger students who frequently receive invitations to attend and we have endeavoured to deal with such issues from an educational point of view in our Life Skills lessons. We also need to be especially confident that parents are aware of the nature of these events, and are happy with their own children’s involvement. We would therefore offer the following requests and guidelines.
For parents of boarders: Boarders staying in school that weekend will NOT be allowed to attend any unsupervised parties. If boarders do want to attend, they can only do so if their parents agree and they have been taken out of the school’s care by staying with another family for the weekend. Even if you have already indicated on the Parental Consent form that your child may sign out to friends at weekends, we would like to further confirm that it is acceptable on this particular weekend. If you have children intending to sign out for this weekend, could you please contact us with that confirmation? You may contact either the boarding parent or Mrs Bango on by whatever means is most convenient (telephone, letter, or email). Boarders will be expected to remain in school for the weekend if we have not heard from you before MONDAY, MAY 16th.
We would also suggest on this occasion, that you contact the host family directly to discuss what you feel would be appropriate arrangements, curfew etc for your children on the evening of the party.
For parents offering to host boarders: Boarders signing out on these weekends will need to sign out for the whole weekend from the Friday afternoon until midday on the Sunday, although they may of course attend the Graduation Ceremony if invited. We would suggest that before you take on the responsibility for the guest students over this period, you are confident of their own parent’s expectations in terms of curfew, supervision etc.
We do not in any way wish to curtail the students’ opportunity for well-deserved celebration on these occasions, but we are concerned for their safety and their parents’ full consent and understanding.
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D1: Tests
There are a number of tests taking place in school this quarter and many of our D1 students will need to register to take these:
  • TOEFL PBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Paper Based Test)- Saturday, 28th May Students who are applying to universities in the USA, Canada or Australia, who are NOT nationals of the UK, USA, Canada or Ireland should register for this test
  • ACT – Saturday, 11th June – Students applying to universities in the USA should take this test
  • SAT Reasoning Test – Saturday, 4th June – Students applying to universities in the USA should take this test only if they are not taking the ACT.
    Registration for the TOEFL test can only be done through the school. Parents can either provide their own credit card details and make a payment of $170 on their own credit card, or may pay the school TSh 410,000 to process their child’s application on their behalf.
    Registration for SAT ($89.50) or ACT ($96.50) can either be made online using your own credit card or, if you wish the school to process the payment on your behalf, we can do so at an additional 8% charge to cover our costs.
    All registrations should be completed by Thursday, 28th April.
    Students applying to universities in the UK who are not nationals of the EU, USA or Canada will need to take an IELTS for UKVI English test for immigration purposes. These are not available in ISM and can only be taken in Dar es Salaam or Nairobi. The next tests in Dar are on 4th June or on 16th July or on 4th August and cost TSh 685,000/-. Early registration is advised as places fill up quickly. Again, you may either register yourself online, or may ask the school to process the payment for you at an additional 8% charge to cover costs. When registering, please be careful – the “IELTS” test is NOT the same as the “IELTS for UKVI” test and it is easy to accidentally register for the wrong test. Only the “IELTS for UKVI” test is valid for UK immigration purposes.
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    M1 Individuals and Societies
    In the M1 Individuals and Societies class we will be examining different systems in this coming unit. These different systems include discussing different religions, belief systems, cultures, customs, and traditions from an objective and educational view point. Our goal is to provide different information so that the students understand how these came into being. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact the subject teacher, Mr. Hagen.
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    M4 Assessment Week
    This week our M4s will be given their adapted schedule for the M4 examination week which will take place on 25 – 29 April. This will be a combination of written assessments in an examination setting and a chance to take an E-assessment (online examination) in four subjects, Mathematics, Science, English Language & Literature, and an Interdisciplinary assessment.
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    M5 Assessment Weeks
    In a few weeks, M5 have two weeks (9 May -20 May) of online MYP E-Assessments in Mathematics, Science, English Language & Literature and Individuals & Societies. In the meantime their other work continues and contributes to their end of year grade. M5 are also starting to think about their work experience week on May 23-27. Parents, please save the date Friday, 3 June, when we will celebrate their last day of Middle School with their M5 Ceremony.
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    Diploma News
    DP Update: This past week DP students showed a great level of focus and engagement following the three-week holiday. This coming week D2 teachers will direct their lessons towards exam review work as this will be the final week of lessons for D2s. D1s examined Sean Covey’s 7 Habits of Effective Teens (Think Win-Win = Habit 4) last week and will consider the Habit 5 (Seek First to Understand, then to Be Understood) this next week in Life Skills.
    Key Dates for DP students:
    • Last day of classes for D2 students – Friday April 22nd
    • Registration deadline for TOEFL, ACT and SAT for D1 students – Thursday, April 28th
    • ISM IB official exams for D2s – Monday May 2nd to Friday May 20th,
    • D2 Parents’ Support in Decorating of Karibu Hall for Graduation – Friday May 20th 8:30am-2:00pm
    • Graduation Dinner at AMEG in Moshi – Friday May 20th 6:30pm (only D2 students and their parents are invited free-of-charge, other family members interested in attending may do so but must purchase a ticket at ISM reception for Tsh 30,000 per person)
    • Graduation in Karibu Hall at ISM – Saturday May 21st – arrival at 2:00pm for 2:30pm sharp start
    • Graduation Tea in ISM Director’s Garden on campus – Saturday May 21st – 4:30pm (approximately)
    • D1 exams – Monday May 23rd to Tuesday May 31st
    • Last day of school, whole school assembly and the Parent-Teacher conference – Friday June 17th
    Rick Fitzpatrick, DP Coordinator
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    Brownies Garage Sale
    Save the date. If you are leaving Moshi this summer or would just like to have a good clear out of your belongings then this is the event for you. The brownies will be holding a garage sale in Karibu Hall on Saturday June 4th from 10am until 12.30pm. More details of how to book your table nearer the time.
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    Primary Sports
    Primary Swim Squad Our Swim Squad will this week continue with their Saturday swimming (10.30-12.00) and lunch-time swimming Tuesday & Thursday 1.30-1.50pm.
    Touch Rugby A few students will be participating in the Primary Touch rugby team. They will be invited by letter and will practise with Coach Sabini on Monday & Thursday lunchtimes. 1.30-1.50pm.
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    Early Childhood Preview
    We will continue tuning into our new unit of inquiry this week under the transdisciplinary theme of ‘How we express ourselves’. The details are as follows: Central Idea: Expression through art takes many different forms. Lines of Inquiry:
    • Expression through art
    • Different Art Media
    • Art interpretation
    Teacher questions:
    • What is expression?
    • What are the different art mediums?
    • How and why do we interpret art in different ways?
    On Monday we are holding an Art Gallery Day as mentioned in last week’s newsletter. This will help us to tune into our unit and inquire into different art mediums. Please consider sending in a piece of artwork from your home to share with the class. This could be a statue, painting, ornament, wood-carving, a piece of jewellery, a piece of embroidered or handpainted fabric, a photograph or an item of furniture. All art pieces will be returned at the end of the school day. Please do not send anything in of great sentimental or monetary value. We will be very careful but accidents do happen! If you would like to talk about an art piece at a later date then please let me know.
    We have found how about different expressions to help us understand the central idea. We will continue to discover how we express different emotions.
    Literacy The children have set their goals for the last quarter of term and will get a chance to start working on them this week. Some are thinking about their listening skills, others about communicating and many EC2s are thinking about improving their independent writing. We will write lists this week as we think about all the different art media.
    Numeracy Patterns will be a focus in our artwork and the children will work on individual goals. Many are focused on counting, recognizing numbers and writing numbers. We have many games and activities that will help the children work on their goals as well as develop their social skills of taking turns and sharing.
    This week we will have PE on Monday for EC1 and EC2. If the weather improves by Friday then we can have a swimming lesson for everyone.
    Please can you make sure that your child has indoor shoes at school all the time. Wellington boots are the best outdoor footwear if you have a pair as the playground is very muddy.
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    P1/2 Preview
    Information for Parents
    We had a great time last week with all of our dress up days. Thanks for helping your child participate. This week we will welcome the IB and CIS teams for our accreditation visit. Our class will be singing along with all of primary at the language assembly Monday morning in Karibu Hall.
    With all of the mud, it is important for your child to have indoor shoes. Please ensure that there is a pair that stays at school for your child.
    Language focus for the week We will learn about nouns this week. Both groups will be reading nouns and learning about people, places, and things. We will also focus on finding nouns in our writing. We will continue to read each day in our reading groups.
    Maths focus for the week Both groups will learn about collecting and using data this week. We will connect our maths les-sons to our unit of inquiry by collecting data on animal habitats. We will work with tally marks and bar graphs.
    Unit of Inquiry We will continue our study of endangered animals. We will begin to focus on people’s roles in protecting endangered species. We will begin to take action by thinking of ways we can help here in Moshi, and we will start to carry out our action plan.
    What to bring to school: A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
    Timetable: Monday – Wear proper clothes and shoes for P.E. Tuesday – Bring your library bag. Friday – Bring swim bag.
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    P2/3 Preview

    The children have enjoyed dressing up every day for Spirit Week. Thanks to all the parents who helped to organise their wonderful outfits each day.
    This week in maths the students investigated the properties of 3D shapes. They learned the associated vocabulary – faces, edges and vertices. They were able to connect the 3D shapes they learned about in class with objects from home and school.
    In English the students learned how to perform poems. First they watched films of famous poets performing their own work – including children’s poet Michael Rosen. His rendition of Chocolate Cake had the children in peals of laughter. By the end of the week the students were confidently able to read or recite in front of the whole class.
    In art the children put the all information they had learned about abstract artists together and produced their own abstract paintings. First they made a plan, then they selected and mixed colours and then they applied it carefully to the paper. The finished designs are very creative and can be seen on the noticeboard outside the classroom.
    The children enjoyed using their imaginations again in a lesson about mime where they worked both on their own and in large groups. They found that they were able to convey information and emotions without the need for sound. They also took part in a guided imagery session which they found to be very relaxing.
    Unit of Inquiry: Transdisciplinary Theme: How we express ourselves Central Idea: Images and ideas from our imagination can be expressed in many ways The children are keen to have another go at guided imagery so we will dedicate some lesson time to this. On Friday our class will be presenting in the Primary Gathering at 7.40am so we will also be preparing for this.
    Mathematics Focus: probability (impossible, unlikely, even chance, likely, certain)
    English Focus: acrostic poems
    What to bring to school every day: A hat, water bottle, a pair of indoor shoes and a healthy snack.
    The Week Ahead: Monday: Swimming session | Homework will be set Tuesday: Library session Thursday: PE lesson Friday: Homework due in | P2/3 presenting in Primary Gathering
    Kate Schermbrucker P2/3 Class Teacher and PYP Coordinator
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    P4 Preview
    Week one was great with a lot of energy all around the school and students eager to be back with their friends. The Spirit week was very exciting as the students made a great effort to dress up and create a cheery atmosphere. Thank you parents for making it a success.
    Unit of Inquiry – In the coming week we are looking forward to visiting the ISM Daycare Centre. This is scheduled to happen on 21st Thursday, from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon. We are going to find out more about the children and see how best to support some of their needs. We will spend the hour teaching English to some of the groups, playing games and teaching them action songs. We will also be looking at the structure and function of a few major humanitarian organizations.
    Language Arts – We have been reading some biographies of famous humanitarians and shared our views about the sacrifice and commitment they made towards improving the lives of others. This coming week we are going to focus on autobiographies not necessarily of humanitarians but of people from different walks of life.
    Math – our shopping activity was fun and the students had some interesting reflections to share. Next week they will continue with the activity but change a few areas to make it more challenging. They have enjoyed learning the vocabulary related to buying and selling. They make very good shoppers learning to bargain and calculate change.
    Art – our lesson this week was inspired by the biography of Martin Luther King Jr. In the coming week we are going to work on creating collages using the technique of the artist Henri Matisse.
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    P5 Preview
    Information for Parents We are really enjoying our unit and the children are learning a lot about ancient achievements that have stood the test of time. We will still be swimming this week, so please make sure that children bring their swim kits on Thursday.
    Language focus for the week We will continue to improve our research skills this week by reading biographies of people that have made significant achievements to the world. We will practice reading for information and writing notes that reflect the most important information about each person. We will also review the importance of writing notes in our own words and not copying directly from the text.
    Maths focus for the week We will continue to work with lines and shapes this week. We will work on our classification skills using line and angle types. We will work on a map project towards the end of the week that will bring together everything we have learned so far.
    Unit of Inquiry Students will be working in cooperative groups this week to find out more information about an ancient civilization. They will find important information and create a way to share their findings with the rest of the class. What to bring to school: A hat for playtime and a healthful snack.
    Timetable: Monday – PE (please wear house T-shirt and trainers) Thursday – Swimming (Please bring swim kit) Friday – Library (please return library books)
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    P6 Preview
    The P6s have begun the exciting journey of the Exhibition Process! Over the week they have participated in a wide range of activities designed to get them prepared for the unit. They have had a chance to explore (through videos, photos and interviews) what other past P6 students have experienced during past Exhibitions and now have a fairly clear idea of what a successful Exhibition involves. They have understood that the whole community is involved and have looked at different perspectives. Together, they thought a lot about what Inquiry involves and the students designed their own inquiry cycles.
    The students have discussed what they are passionate about as well as what frustrates them and we are moving towards choosing topics for inquiry. Next week we will be getting ready: forming our Exhibition groups, coming up with central ideas and lines of inquiry, setting goals and creating assessment criteria and tools.
    • Thank you to the M1 students who gave up part of their lunchtime, and who so patiently answered our questions about their exhibition experience.
    • Parents, please take time to look at our corridor display which shows some of the activities we have done during week 1 of the Exhibition.
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    IN THIS ISSUE
    Sports Banquet
    D2 Classes End
    Private Parties
    D1 Tests
    M1 Indiv. & Soc.
    M4 Assessments
    M5 Assessments
    Diploma News
    Garage Sale
    Primary Sport
    Primary Previews
    CONTACT US International School Moshi
    PO Box 733
    Moshi, Tanzania
    Tel: +255 27 2755005
    Fax: +255 736 605320
    Email:

    Mobile:
    +255 767 534766
    NOTES This newsletter has been sent to you from International School Moshi. if your email address changes or if you would like me to add another email address to this mailing list.

    Keiron White
    Head of Moshi Campus

    International School Moshi provides a world-class education through a challenging international curriculum in a dynamic environment. We are committed to developing balanced global citizens who are empowered to act responsibly in a complex world.
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    Email me, Keiron White, on to tell me. This newsletter published by International School Moshi (Moshi Campus) © 2016