Moshi Campus News – 20 Aug 2016

It was wonderful to see such a good turn out of parents at the Primary Meet the Teacher event on Thursday evening. Thank you for giving up the time and for being so supportive of our Primary Team. I think you learned that we have an excellent set of teachers who are not only highly qualified and experienced, but also passionate about teaching your children. Throughout the evening you asked lots of well thought out questions and seemed very interested in learning more about inquiry based learning. I have heard lots of positive feedback which is making us feel well supported and appreciated. Thank you.
As you know our primary clubs began last week with children attending swimming, Lego, choir, athletics, arts & crafts, EC Fun Club, rounders, jump rope, Brownies, Minecraft, chess, football, orphanage and story time. I am always delighted by the enthusiasm our students have for the clubs programme. The vast majority choose the maximum number to attend and generally come away at 3pm with giant smiles on their faces. Thanks very much to all the teachers, teaching assistants and parents who make this possible.
We are now looking forward to a Spirit Day on Monday when all children should wear their house T-shirts or their house colours (Kibo – Blue, Mawenzi – Green and Meru – Yellow). We will be learning more about how the ISM house system will run this year in our assembly.
Now that the weather is starting to warm up, we will start swimming lessons for the P4, P5 and P6 students. Please send them to school with a swimming costume and towel in a bag on the appropriate day. You may also wish to send in goggles, hats and flip flops (to walk to the pool). Kate Schermbrucker, (Head of Primary)

As a reminder, on Thursday, 25th August we will be having a Parents’ Night for the MYP and DP parents starting at 6:30pm. If you have questions about the different programs or would just like to learn more in general, we invite you to attend. Next weekend on August 27th, our M1 students will kick off the year’s Outdoor Pursuits program with the introductory Campcraft trip to Gilman’s Camp in Marangu.
As is common at the start of each Secondary year we have been having discussions with students about several items. One of these is Dress code. Students have been reminded that they are not allowed to come to school in ripped jeans and that shirts need to cover the midriff and have sleeves. Students that do not follow these rules will be asked to change. Another item that is very important to teens is their phone. Please help us in reminding them that there are school rules governing the use of phones on campus and that they need to abide by these or they may temporarily lose access to their phone. If they have questions about the rules, then please have them come see me and we can go through them. I thank you for your help on these matters. Bob Cofer (Head of Secondary)

We have come to the end of week two, and the boarders seem quite settled. New boarders have got in to the routine in boarding.
We have planned a number of activities for the boarders this weekend, among them a trip to Moshi town. These are weekly trips that allow Secondary boarders to visit Moshi town. The M1-M4 trips are supervised, while the M5 to D2 trip is unsupervised. Other weekend activities planned for the weekend include a trip on Saturday to the hot springs. This will be a trip for Diploma boarders. Those who remain behind will engage in various sporting activities, including basketball, Frisbee and Football. On Saturday night the Kilimanjaro mountain club have planned to show a documentary titled Meru(Himalayas). This will be presented by a U.S. climber, Conrad Anker, in the school Social Centre.
A polite reminder to parents who have not yet sent us the Parent Consent forms that we need them as soon as possible. These can be found on our website at:

• Primary: PC Form (P2-P6)
• MYP: PC Form (M1-M4)
• Diploma and M5: PC Form (M5-D2)

HOME OF THE LEOPARDS What a great week of practices for our sports teams! There is a lot of enthusiasm from the students and coaches for a great season. Everyone is looking forward to a lot of hard work, learning of new skills and team camaraderie.
The Season One Sign Up Form will close on Monday, August 22nd. Please note that all students must sign up for a sport team or club. If a student would like to change his or her choice they must write an email to the respective team coach and myself, or directly speak with me to drop and add a sport. During the next week, I will be cross referencing all sport teams and clubs to make sure all MYP and DP students are participating. If a student is not participating the school could impose restrictions on those respective students.
Please click here to view the updated season one practice timetable: www.uwcea.org/sports
ISM is a respected member of the Northern Tanzania Athletic Association (NTAA) and a vital component of this membership is the opportunity for our students to participate in Friendly Games, Tournaments and NTAA Sanctioned Events. This participation is key to the development of sports’ teams and the sports program. In this regards it is important for all students and parents to understand that participation in these games, tournaments, and NTAA events are extremely important to ISM teams and coaches. Every effort must be made to attend, regardless if these events take place on campus or if there is travel involved. Please be aware that ISM students no longer need to pay a transportation fee for Sports Trips.
Please click here to view the Friendly and NTAA Schedule of Events: www.uwcea.org/leopards
The ISM Sports Department is looking to start an Athletics Program (Track and Field). Students who are interested in Running, Jumping and Throwing should attend a meeting on Thursday, August 25th at 15:00, so that the coach can outline aspects of the program.
Tennis Lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced players with Coach Charles have started. Those students and parents who are interested in arranging lessons are kindly requested to contact him at 0757606766.
Horse riding is also available and those interested need to contact Mr Priva at 0758053280 for more information regarding times, prices and requirements.
As the season and year progresses please keep up with all the info, news, and sports reports by reading the Moshi Campus News. Go Leopards! Scott Hibbard, (Head of Sport and Physical Education)

Our Outdoor Pursuits programme for this semester has now been finalsed and we are looking forward to a fantastic range of trips available to our secondary students. Students (and the teachers who accompany them) must progress through the various levels starting with a level 1 trip and continuing upwards. We also hold a special Camp Craft trip for M1 students as an introductory trip to give them a taste of the programme before they join a Level 1 trip. All trips are accompanied by teachers and guides and are charged at cost price to the school. As parents will know, VAT was recently added to all National Park fees, so trips within the national parks have now risen in cost because of this. The differing prices for Tanzanian and expatriate students reflect differing charges from the National Parks.
Please do encourage your son/daughter to take this great opportunity to experience the wonderful environment here in Tanzania. Our trips for this semester are as follows:

Trip	Level	Dates	For:
Campcraft	0	August 27-28	M1 only
Pare Mountains	1b	September 17-18	M2-D2 (starting level for new students in these classes)
Ngorongoro	4	Sep 28 – Oct 2	M2-D1: This hiking and camping trip in the Ngorongoro area is not at altitude, but is demanding and is recommended for older students who have successfully completed Level 3.
Uhuru Peak	5	October 20-25	Only for students over the age of 16 who have successfully completed level 4.
Mandara Hut	1	November 5-6	M1 students who have successfully completed campcraft, and other beginners in M2-D2 who are new to the programme
Usambara Mountains	2	November 10-13	M2-D2 students who have completed level 1, and M1 students who have completed level 1 and 1b
Base of Mawenzi	3	November 19-22	Students over 16 years who have successfully completed level 2
Socialist Peak	4	December 2-5	Students over 16 years who have successfully completed level 3

We how have new ISM swim suits that will be available for sale from the reception in school from next week. They are black with orange logos and are available as a girl’s all-in-one swim suit or a boy’s jammer. The price is TSh 50,000/- for girls and TSh 45,000/- for boys.

Those representing ISM school teams will need to buy these swim suits. We hope many other swimmers will also wish to do so.

In cooperation with ISM, the Rotary Club will be holding a fund-raising Triathlon event at ISM Arusha Campus on Saturday, September 10th. For further details on how to enter for this event, see www.uwcea.org/triathlon

Piano Teachers Needed. We are currently looking for more instrumental teachers (and particularly piano teachers) in the community to broaden our fantastic team of music tutors here at ISM. If you play an instrument and have an interest in joining our dedicated, collaborative and professional programme to teach students at either beginner or intermediate level, please contact Mrs Pantlin at the music department or on . Mary Pantlin, ISM Music Teacher

The students in M4 have been learning about interdependence in biology classes and are reading science news articles every week to link their new understanding with the real world. During these lessons, students have learnt about the carbon cycle and are currently focusing on how essential icebergs are as they provide a habitat for micro-organisms which in turn reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In fact there is a an extraordinary clip on this link (www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHpHxA-9CVM) which we watched in class today about the preservation of the Arctic ice fields.

The up coming M4 maths and science trip to West-Kilimanjaro (Sept. 6th to 9th) will complement this topic as we will measure biomass at various altitudes and relate this to the composition of the atmosphere.
Zoe McIvor, (Biology Teacher)

Students applying to universities in the USA will usually need to take either an ACT test or an SAT test prior to entry. Most D2 students have already taken these tests once, but may now need to improve their scores, or to supplement their result with SAT Subject tests. D1 students will not be expected to take these tests until May/June 2017. All tests are in school in Moshi.
ACT – Saturday, 10th September: Regular registration has now closed, but standby registration is still possible from Monday. Cost is $150.50 (including extra standby fee). Go to: www.uwcea.org/act
SAT – Saturday, 1st October: Students should register now and before the deadline of Friday, 26th August. Fees are $80 (SAT Reasoning), $92 (SAT Reasoning + Essay), $121 (three subject tests). Go to: www.uwcea.org/sat
Students who need help with registration can see Mr Keiron White. Payment is by credit card – if you would like us to make the payment on your child’s behalf, please pay the fees plus 8% (to cover various charges) to the school and let me know on . Payments can be made in cash at our accounts office, through the school’s regular bank account (please email a paying-in slip), or via MPesa on 0767534766 (please also send an SMS message to confirm), or through PayPal payment to paypal@uwcea.org.uk.

This week Daryl Rustad (), our college counselor, will be back on campus to work with our Diploma students on their university planning. He will be presenting to both the D1 and D2 groups in Life Skills and will also be available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for Diploma students to sign up for individual discussion times. Students have been given access to a Google spreadsheet to sign up for these appointments. This is a great opportunity for students to get advice before the UK University Fair on Tuesday, September 13th (date changed from earlier announcement).

Update:

• Observations around campus reveals that IB DP students seem well engaged and focused on their respective classes (right is a photo from a D1 Global Politics class). Some class switches have taken place and can continue for the next two weeks.
• Afternoon sports activities are in full swing.
• Internationalism remains at the center of the IB’s mission and is evident across the spectrum of our courses.
• According to the ISM IB DP Progression Policy, at the end of the first quarter of their D1 year, all full diploma students will be expected to have a minimum of 20 points (obtained by adding the reported achievement grades from their six subjects excluding ToK and EE). Any student achieving fewer than 20 points at this stage, or who have fewer than 10 points in their higher level subjects, will be required to undertake a modified programme in consultation with the Diploma Programme Coordinator. All students with 20 to 22 points (or with 10 or 11 HL points) will be warned that they will need to reduce their programme of study if they do not receive a minimum of 22 points (a minimum of 11 points in their higher levels) by the end of the second quarter – this will also be communicated to parents.

Many thanks to all parents who attended the ‘Meet the teacher’ evening on Thursday. I hope you found the information useful. If you have any questions about the EC class or the PYP please feel free to email me at
We made a start on exploring feelings last week by looking at photographs of people showing a variety of emotions and trying to guess why they were feeling that way. The children will continue to explore feelings and emotions throughout the unit through role-play, puppet shows, stories and circle time activities.
This week we will read the story ‘Same, same but different’ by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw about two boys who come from completely different parts of the world and who find out all about each other; both the differences and similarities. This will help the children understand the concept of perspective as they learn about each other and come to appreciate what each has to offer our class community.
Our language work will focus on making a class book, containing something special about each child. The children will inquire into all the things they can do and are good at and we will make a display about what they find out. EC1s will explore the sound a made by Annie Apple and s made by Sammy Snake. Last week they found out about c made by Clever Cat. EC2s will focus on the short a sound in different word families.
Our maths focus will be gathering data about eye and hair colour and showing our results in different ways. The children are learning to sort and match when tidying up the classroom and there will be an emphasis on sorting this week.
Please look out for a separate letter coming home this week about our class museum and how you can help your child begin work on this.
ON MONDAY CHILDREN ARE ASKED TO COME TO SCHOOL IN HOUSE T-SHIRTS FOR OUR SPIRIT DAY.

Information for Parents Thank you for attending our ‘Meet the Teachers” evening. It was good to meet you.
The children had a very active week filled with interesting learning activities. They are also getting more focused on our class goals to listen and follow instructions more quickly.

We are going to start our ‘Show and Tell’ sessions twice a week starting in the upcoming week. Please check the table above for your child’s scheduled day.
All brought in objects (toys, books, art and crafts) need to be related to our Unit of Inquiry. Unit of Inquiry: Who we are: ‘I am Incredible’ This week we focused on our unique and special values. The children were very excited to take part in a TV show and share their incredible and special characteristics with our class puppet ‘Leo’. We were influenced by the book: ‘Incredible You’ by Dr Wayne W. Dyer.
Maths The children practised additions using different objects, such as leaves and unifix to support their understanding. They also enjoyed cutting out, decorating and ordering rockets. Please pop in and take a look at there work in our classroom.
Literacy We were revising the sounds: ‘s’,’a’,’t’ and ‘p’, collecting words from our playground and making creative sound related crafts. The older children also wrote sentences with these words. I also listen to their readings at least once a week.
Art This week we made some lovely cards for our best friend. The children wrote nice messages and drew beautiful pictures on it. The Junk modeling is a great success. We are so creative!!! Look at these crafts!
What to bring to school every day: A hat, a water bottle and a healthy snack. Indoor shoes.
The Week Ahead: Monday: PE lesson, Homework will be sent home (due in on Friday), Primary clubs. Tuesday: Library books Wednesday: ‘Show and Tell’ for group 1 Thursday: PE lesson Friday: Homework due in, ‘Show and Tell’ for group 2
Have a glorious week ahead! Ms Andrea

Thank you to all the P2/3 parents for coming to Meet the Teacher Night. It was great to see so many parents. I hope that all of you found the information pack useful.
We have had a very busy week full of excellent learning experiences. We are continuing to work on class expectations and routines. The children are expected to bring their homework folders and home readers to school every day.
This week in class: Programme of Inquiry (POI) – The children created their own balanced food plate using a food pyramid model. They designed and created a “Healthy Living” poster in IT based on what they thought was important, for example, washing your hands, brush your teeth, and exercise regularly.
Math – The students have been working on a variety of patterns in class; number and shape patterns. They have grown in confidence identifying how a pattern is changing. We have continued looking at double facts and how these can help us when adding numbers together. We have looked at days of the week and focused on spelling each day correctly with a capital letter.
Writing – The children have worked very hard on their personal narratives. We have developed the show don’t tell idea where they stretch out their story to show it instead of telling you what happened in one sentence.
Reading – We have begun to work on the “chunk it” reading strategy when reading tricky words. This is where they break words into pieces (syllables) in order to sound it out. Please refer to the reading book mark I sent during Meet your Teacher.
The Week Ahead: Monday: We have a whole school assembly, please send your child in their house t- shirt. Homework will be sent home (returned by Friday). If children have any questions about their homework they are encouraged to come and ask me. Tuesday: Swimming begins, please ensure your child has the following (swim costume, goggles, cap (for long hair, towel and pool shoes) and its Library Day. Wednesday: Homework folder and Home reader Thursday: Homework folder and Home reader Friday: Physical Education Class, students need to be prepared with proper clothing (House T-shirt, gym shoes, hat and water bottle) and Home work to be returned.
The Week Ahead in the Classroom: Unit of Inquiry: People make choices that affect their well-being Line of Inquiry: Monitoring daily habits Key Concepts: Responsibility We will be looking into creating our own class food pyramid.
Math: Fact families + / – and how numbers are connected. Continue working on double and facts to ten. Patterns and the how they change.
Language: Short vowel review. Finding words inside words – this will also help with reading i.e. because (be, cause, us, use). We will continue our personal narrative stories. We will focus on stretching out an idea and adding juicy words (fabulous, marvelous, furious etc.) Interview questions about healthy living.
Please feel free to email me if you would like to volunteer to help out in our class. I would like to start reading buddies in the up and coming weeks and need parent helpers. Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend. Clare Hibbard P2/3

We are really beginning to get to know each other in P4/5. We have interviewed each other and played together. We are exploring our identity and beginning to develop the confidence to speak up and express our needs, defending our own rights and the rights of other people.
Language: We are will continue learning how to express our opinions verbally and in writing. The children are exploring the key concept of ‘perspective’ and have had the opportunity to take sides and debate on a variety of issues. We will continue working on this throughout the next week. This past week they also examined what it is like to be Muslim in a country that forbids the wearing of the burqua and began debating on the issue.
Math: We are looking at the properties of numbers and how knowing our number bonds to 10 help us with other computational skills. This week upcoming we will build on this knowledge and begin to look at 100 and parts of a whole as we begin to look at our world as if it was a village of 100.
Unit of Inquiry: The children have worked this week in ICT to create an infographic depicting their understanding of their rights and responsibilities at home, school and in the wider community. They have impressed me with their risk-taking and exploring using new technology and by using an app to modify their image to superimpose a new cultural outfit on themselves. They also used the internet to research and find out about a country they are interested in and made a paper doll dressed in the cultural clothes of that area.
Upcoming: Monday is Spirit Day and the students should come to school wearing their house T-shirts. Julie Bowen

It was lovely to meet some of you at the “PYP Meet The Teacher” evening on Thursday. For those of you who were unable to attend or were busy visiting other classrooms I look forward to meeting you over the next few weeks. The children have brought home a handout that covers the main points of the presentation. Please look at the outlines of our Units of Inquiry for the year ahead. The children would be delighted if you were able to visit the class as a guest speaker (see below.)
Maths – In maths we have been looking at place value. This will be relevant during our UOI when we consider the populations of different countries and the number of people who migrate from or migrate to those countries. The children revised the term digits, expanded form, word form and standard form. They played place value Yahtzee and have worked on rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. Next week we will continue with rounding numbers and will also continue with our work on plotting coordinates which we will link to mapping skills.
Unit of Inquiry – We tuned into our migration unit by watching a short clip of the movie Paddington Bear. The children made posters explaining where Paddington lived originally, where he moved to, why he decided to move, the route he took and the challenges he faced on arrival in his new home. For homework the children have started to consider the personal migration journeys of family members. Next week we will consider the reasons that people migrate (push and pull factors.)
English Language – The children have written a story to establish a writing baseline and have used this to set writing goals. Next week we will research the lives of famous migrants and write their stories in preparation for the following week when we will use our homework research (an interview with a family member or friend who has migrated) to write a migration narrative.
We need guest speakers – Please come into class and talk to us! We would love to have parents who have experience of migration and a story to tell visit the classroom to share their experiences with the children. We are interested in the reasons people migrate and their experiences in their new communities. This would add a lot of excitement and interest to our Unit of Inquiry so please email me if you are able to help.
The week ahead Monday – Spirit Day! The children should dress in their house shirts or house colours. Please return finished library books to school. Hopefully the children will be issued with library book bags (these are being laundered at the moment.) Friday – Swimming starts for P5! Every day – please bring a hat, a water bottle and a healthy snack. Deborah Mills, (P5 Teacher)

The students did us proud during an interview with Ms. Pauline O’Brien from CIS. We also had an informative Curriculum night this past week. Thank you to the parents who attended. For parents who could not make it, your child should have brought home a sheet showing our class routines and important contacts, in case you have any questions.
This week we focused on interpreting graphs, plotting coordinates and solving word problems. We will move into creating pie charts and the students will review fractions and percentages in the number system. Students will create their own graphs in I.T. to represent information collected during our unit of inquiry.
In Language Arts students have been looking at ways to improve their narratives. They are using the writing traits and have edited their first drafts. This coming week we will look at some authors and who have written their personal accounts and we will read their stories, as a guide before the students write memoirs.
In our unit of Inquiry we shared migration stories and watched documentaries, which talked about reasons people migrate. We also learned about the countries that have the highest number of migrants and those that take in the biggest number of immigrants from around the world. This coming week the students will learn more about push and pull factors of international migration and further develop their mapping skills by using different websites.
Polite reminders Monday: P.E. Spirit Day and Library Tuesday: French and Music Wednesday: P.E., French and Swahili Thursday: Music Friday: Swahili and Swimming lessons begin All P6 parents are invited to our P6 Gathering from 7:40 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Have a lovely week ahead, Cathy Wambua- P6 homeroom teacher

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