Moshi Campus News – 22 Jan 2017

I hope everyone had a restful holiday as we wasted no time getting back into the swing of school this week. This applies most specifically to our D2 students who started their Mock Exams this week and will finish on Thursday the 26th. For the D1 students this week has brought the start of the Extended Essay process which will take them through next November. While the D1 students are starting their major project, the M5 students are finishing theirs with the Personal Project reports due on Tuesday the 24th. They will have the exhibition of their work on Tuesday February 14th.
Outside of this we have the M2 trip to Pangani starting on January 30th, Book Week starting on February 6th and our first OP trip of the semester to Mandara on February 11th. Please also be aware of ISA tests for students in P4 to M3 in the middle of February and trips for M1 and M3 students towards the end of February. In sports we have swimming, football and basketball in the next few weeks so keep an eye on the calendar.
Please remember as well that secondary CAS and Sports activities for the semester kick off this Monday the 23rd.

It was lovely to hear about the children’s holidays to various different parts of Tanzania and the rest of the world. Most appeared keen to get back to school to reunite with their friends and teachers and begin their brand new units of inquiry. They have also enjoyed starting their exciting new club activities. These include physical theatre, African Drums, Code Academy, gardening, Brownies, jump rope, origami, contemporary theatre, fairytale arts & craft, netball, rounders, football, swimming, basketball, Lego and more. Thanks must go to the teachers, teaching assistants, parents, volunteers and older students for providing such a rich and diverse Clubs programme.
This week the primary children have been tuning in to their new units, i.e. brainstorming what they already know and starting to ask deeper questions. Next week they will begin investigating the answers to these questions and this may spur them on to carry out unit related actions. When we talk about Action in the PYP, we mean when an individual or a group engage in purposeful and beneficial activities to make a difference to their community or their world.
BOOK WEEK: In two weeks’ time we will celebrate books at the ISM Book Week. On Monday 6th February we will hold a Spirit Day when the children can dress up as their favourite book character. It’s therefore time to start thinking about costumes. We would also like to invite members of the community in as Surprise Readers. If you have a favourite book or story which you would like to read to a primary class please contact either the class teacher directly or myself (), but please remember to keep it as a surprise.
REMINDER: Please send your child with a full water bottle and hat every day. As the weather is getting warmer this is now particularly important. Kate Schermbrucker, (Head of Primary)

During Book Week (February 6th -10th) we will hold a whole school book swap. This is a chance to line your bookshelves with a complete set of new books!!!! We will accept baby books all the way up to adult books, both fiction and non-fiction. More details to come soon but please start to sort your unwanted books out NOW!!!

Boarders returned to school on Sunday, 15th January for Q3. The few who have not returned have genuine reasons for not returning on time. We appreciate parents for keeping us informed about the travel arrangements, as this enabled us to make suitable arrangements to receive students. The school provides free transport to and from KIA on the scheduled opening and closing days. The school will charge for transport to/from KIA on all other days. The few affected parents will receive invoices in due course.
D2 boarders have been quite engaged as their Mock examinations begun on Thursday, 19th January. They will finish these exams on Thursday, 26th January, and resume normal classes on Friday, 27th January. We continue to provide a conducive environment for study for the D2 students, and all the other boarders.

On Friday, we organized the usual town trip for Secondary boarders and they had a chance to go shopping in Moshi town. This was followed by a disco in the evening in the social centre for MYP and DP students. On Saturday we had a football tournament ion the top pitch, followed by a movie night outside Karibu hall. Primary boarders went through a cleaning session in their dorm on Saturday afternoon, and watched a movie in the evening. On Sunday after church, they had some Art activities to engage them. Rosemary Bango, (Head of Boarding)

As you know, at the end of each school year we sadly have to say goodbye to a number of colleagues and I wanted to bring you up to date with the current situation. We will have quality time later in the year to say goodbye to each one but I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the valuable contribution that they have made to our school.
The following teachers will be leaving ISM on July 31st, 2017: MOSHI CAMPUS: Annalee Horton (Early Childhood), Ryan Sullivan (PE & Counsellor), Valérie Veillon (French), David Hagen (English), Debbie Garbett (Learning Support)
ARUSHA CAMPUS: Gareth Jacobson (Head of Primary), Stacy Jacobson (P6), Shannon Howlett (IBDP Coordinator), Freddie Kibe (MYP Mathematics), James Campbell (English), Katie Crisp (Chemistry/Mathematics), Alison Mollel (Primary EAL).
Bob Horton, (Director)

Every year, a number of our students take the online ISA tests set by ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research). These tests, designed for international school students, help us to evaluate our own curriculum and teaching and also help you to determine your child’s level when compared with international standards. After the tests, each parent will receive a detailed report of their child’s performance. However it is important to remember that a child’s academic level is measured in many different ways and these test scores only provide one possible assessment and these must interpreted along side all the other assessments that take place regularly in your child’s classes.
Students in P4, P5, P6, M1 and M3 will take tests in Mathematics, Reading and Writing and, in addition, M3 students will take a Science test.
These tests are scheduled between 13th and 24th February.
If you would like to read more about ISA tests, please see https://www.acer.edu.au/isa.

Over the last couple of months, ManageBac has changed their online interface for parents and students. The new interface works well on mobile phones and tablets as well as on computers. Use any browser to login at https://uwcea.managebac.com and see your child’s school reports, the teachers’ unit plans for teaching this quarter, and the results of your child’s assessments. If you have lost your password for this site, please contact Grace Mkumbwa on to request a password reminder.

The ISM website is accessible at www.uwcea.org. Most parts are accessible publicly, but a few pages are restricted to parents and students of ISM only. These pages can be accessed using a password which is available from the Head of Campus.

ABRSM Practical Exams Entry Deadline January 27th,2017.
Exam Sessions May-June 2017
All candidates who wish to take an ABRSM practical music exam must sign up with Mrs Pantlin by Friday January 27th 2017. Check the exams fees and exam list on the music department noticeboard.
What is ABRSM? ABRSM is the UK’s largest music education body, one of its largest music publishers and the world’s leading provider of music exams, offering assessments to more than 630,000 candidates in 93 countries every year.
ABRSM was set up by the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in 1889, the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
An ABRSM grade has a worldwide currency and the exams are designed to motivate students at all levels and ages, providing realistic goals and tangible rewards for their achievements.
All ABRSM examiners understand what it is like to learn to play or sing and the time and effort it takes to progress in music. Their motivation is to encourage developing musicians, providing a supportive atmosphere in an exam and giving a fair, independent assessment.
We are very lucky to be part of the ABRSM exams and this is a fabulous opportunity for instrumental players of all levels. For more information please see the ABRSM website, www.abrsm.org. M.Pantlin, (Music Department)

We are once again offering a good range of Outdoor Pursuits trips this semester and hope that many secondary students will wish to join some of these. A student may be a complete beginner to the programme (Level 1) and wish to get a taste of OP, or may be more experienced and progressing up the levels to the more challenging trips.

Trip	Level	Dates	For:
Mandara Hut	1	February 11-12	Beginners to the programme (M2-D2), or M1 students who have sucessfully completed the Campcraft trip.
Hanang	3	March 9-12	Students who have successfully completed level 2. This is a challenging trip that we added to the OP programme in 2016.
Ngorongoro & Natron	4	April 22-26	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.
South Pares	1b	May 6-8	M1-D2 (starting level for new students in M2 and above)
Meru Ash Cone	2	May 27-29	This trip is new to our programme and will enable students to climb to the top of the ash cone in the Mount Meru crater. Open to all students who have successfully completed level 1.

HOME OF THE LEOPARDS Welcome back to ISM and to 2017, the ISM Sports Department hopes that all students had a restful and relaxing holiday and are ready to get started into the new semester. Please find below all the important information regarding Physical Education, Houses, and Sports.
Physical Education Starting the second semester students are starting new PE Units. Please find those units below the units that each of the classes has started with in January. M1 – Swimming M2 – Swimming M3 – Swimming and American Football M4 – Swimming and American Football M5 – E-Portofolio
Sporting News The ISM Sports Department is excited about this new season, and our NTAA teams have already been out practising for their upcoming games and matches. There are also new activities and sports on offered this semester. Students are encouraged to look through the ISM Sports Brochure for these offerings. Please note sign-ups for all activities closed on Friday January 20th and all activities and sport team practices will begin the week of Monday January 23rd.
This coming Saturday January 28th ISM will be the host of the first round of NTAA games for the U15 Boys and Girls Football and the U19 Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments. Please go to www.uwcea.org/sportstrip for times of games, please note these are subject to change.
Please click the link www.uwcea.org/sportschedule for sporting fixtures for ISM teams.
House Competition At this time students have the opportunity to sign up for the ISM Indoor Football Tournament, this tournament will take place during Secondary Lunch and at the end of the event a champion will be crowned. Students can earn points for their respective houses by participating in the event.
Activities As always the ISM Sports Department wants to advertise three excellent afterschool activities, so please find below information regarding swimming, tennis and horseback riding.
Swimming lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced with Coach Sabini. Those students and parents who are interested in arranging lessons are kindly requested to contact Coach Sabini in person.
Tennis Lessons for beginners, intermediate and advanced players with Coach Charles. 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 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)

Are you aged between 4 – 12 years? Do you love to play tennis? Or do you want to learn how to play tennis?

Coach Charles is offering group coaching at the following times: Wednesdays: 3 – 4pm Saturdays: 9.30 – 11am Cost: 10, 000 Tsh per session (payable to Charles at the start of the session) Ages: 4 – 12 years only Head Coach: Charles Laizer, Telephone: 0757 606 766 Individual private lessons are also available for children, parents and staff members.

Welcome back to another busy quarter in sport. This quarter features the following sports clubs: Monday: Jr. Varsity Swimming Tuesday: Basketball Wednesday: Netball Thursday: Rounders and Football
Coach Charles is also available for tennis lessons (see above).
Kindly ensure your athlete brings their hat and water bottle to help them through the hot afternoon sun.
Upcoming Dates: 27-29 January – Tallis Invitational – Dar es Salaam Friday, 3 February – NTAA Regional Championships – Moshi Pool Wednesday, 8 February – Primary Basketball Tournament – Moshi Campus Friday, 10 February – Primary Swim Clinic – Kennedy House – 0830-1600 (approx) 23-26 March – Kenyan Independent Schools Championships – Nairobi

Our Varsity swimmers have been back swimming for ten days now, busy preparing for our many upcoming competitions. The weather is perfect at the moment, the cool mornings giving way to the heat that warms the pool and makes getting into the water at 0550 a little more pleasant.

Practices for Varsity are as follows: Monday: 15.15-17.15 Tues/ Wed/ Thur: 05.30-06.50 Sat: 08.00-10.00 – this workout will be moved to Sunday if we have a completion on Saturday. Invited primary swimmers should be attending these workouts as well.
Practices for Jr. Varsity (Primary): Monday: 13.30-15.00 Tue/Wed/Thur: 13.30-13.50 Sat: 10.30-12.00
Upcoming Dates: Saturday, 21 Jan – ISMAC- NTAA Swim Meet – Secondary 27-29 Jan – Tallis Swim Meet – Dar Friday, 3 Feb – NTAA Champs – Moshi Pool Friday, 10 Feb – Primary Swim Clinic – Kennedy House 24-25 March – Kenyan Independent Schools Champs – Nairobi – Primary and Secondary
NTAA Regional Swimming Championships On Friday 3 February 2017, from 9am to 4pm, Moshi Pool with be hosting the NTAA Regional Swim Championships. This the most important competition we have hosted, and we will need to rely on swim parents to volunteer. Positions that need to be filled are as follows:

Timers/Recorders: we need to have 3 timers and one recorded for one lane for the whole day.

Bake Sale Fundraising and Food Table: we need 3 parents to organize food donations to raise money for the program and to deliver food to the schools.

Marshals: we need two parents to organize the heats and get swimmers to the starting blocks.

Place judges: we need two parents to record the order of finish Stroke and Turn: we need two parents to watch turns and strokes for disqualifications. training will be given for this.

Referee: we need two parents to help the starter and receive disqualifications.

Announcer: we need one announcer.

Computer Data Entry: we need someone to help Christine at the computer table, printing and posting results and entering times.
Please contact Coach Ryan via email to sign-up for a position. There will be a morning and afternoon session, and positions can be shared between several parents. This is our big moment, so thanks in advance for your help. Coach Ryan and Sabini

Update:

Following several days of review sessions (see photo), D2 mock exams have started and will continue until this coming Thursday Jan 26th. By mid-February, an email will be sent to parents reporting the D2 mock exam results for your child.

D1s commenced their weekly ‘Research and Writing’ skills with among other things: an outdoor expectation task (see photos) and paraphrasing an article Hundreds March Against Ivory Trade in Tanzania by Sophie Tremblay in Voice of America. (www.voanews.com/a/hundreds-march-against-ivory-trade-in-tanzania/3677228.html).

D1 students appear settled in focus as we enter the second week of the second semester. Frequent comments are heard from faculty about the seriousness, focus and comradery of the class of 2018 cohort.

Wilfred Moshi, the first Tanzanian citizen to summit the world’s highest peak Mount Everest, has confirmed his participation as our Saturday May 20, 2017 graduation speaker for the ISM IB DP class of 2017.
Upcoming: Upcoming D2 deadlines include the following:

Monday January 30th – Economics Commentary #3 (Draft)

Tuesday January 31st: Math SL/HL Exploration (final) and ITGS Major Project (Final)

Thursday Feb 2nd- Swahili Ab Initio SL (Mock) Orals

Mon Feb 6th and Tues Feb 7th – English B HL/SL (mock) orals

Wed Feb 8th – Swahili Lit HL/SL Written Assignment (Final)
The end of quarter three parent-teacher meeting will occur on Friday March 31st and the end-of-fourth quarter parent-teacher meeting will take place on Thursday June 15th. One cannot overstate how critically important it is for parents to be present for these meetings.
D2 students will hold their first Graduation Planning meeting next week.
A reminder to parents of D2 students to reserve on your calendar Friday May 19th (Graduation Friday evening dinner) and Saturday May 20th (Graduation Ceremony).
Weblinks: On UK University Admissions’ Officers Preference for the IB DP over A Levels – www.relocatemagazine.com/news/education-university-admissions-officers-favour-ib
On testing, creativity and wisdom – https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0031721716681780
The IB DP world-wide statistical bulletin for May 2016 www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/facts-and-figures/statistical-bulletins/diploma-programme-statistical-bulletin
On preparing for success in the IB DP – www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/2015/07/20/5-ways-to-prepare-for-ib-success-this-summer
Rick Fitzpatrick, (Diploma Coordinator):

     
Unit of Inquiry The light unit got off to a great start last week. This week our dark room is ready for investigations into light and dark. If you have any sources of light, glow in the dark or shiny objects that you could send into school we would love to borrow them for a few weeks or even a day or two. These could include toys that light up. Please encourage your child to think about our unit when they are choosing something for their show and tell. It’s a great way to make connections between home and school. The children brainstormed a list of light sources and came up with the following list so far; The sun, candles, Christmas tree lights, torch, flashlight, computer, fire, the moon, stars. Please look in your child’s backpack for a light survey coming home this week and help your child fill it in.
Language The children will focus on writing about their investigations during this unit as well as making non-fiction books both individually and in groups. This week we will start our ‘Little books of light.’ There will also be an opportunity during this unit to find out about light being used for celebrations. If you observe any religious/non-religious traditions that have light as a major focus then we would love you to come into the class to talk about them. This will give the children a chance to develop their speaking and listening skills in a range of situations. Our focus on the story ‘The owl who was afraid of the dark’ will continue this week.
Numeracy This week we will begin to talk about night and day, introducing vocabulary such as morning, afternoon, night, evening. The children will sequence events in their day and find out more about telling the time, focusing on o’clock times.

I’d like to welcome Colin to our class. It’s great to have him with us. It’s wonderful to see how the children are teaching him about class routines and also about what they have learnt in the last few months.
Our New Unit of Inquiry is: Where We Are In Time And Space Central Idea: Sources of historical evidence help us learn about the past. Lines of Inquiry and key concepts:

The ways individuals document their histories. FORM?

Reflecting on past experiences. REFLECTION

Documenting our own histories. PERSPECTIVE

Representing our identity. REFLECTION What an exciting unit!!! This week the children were introduced to our new unit. After a discussion they worked in groups of fives to write or draw their ideas and knowledge about this topic. I was amazed by the ‘big’ words they came up with, such as future, past and history. We jumped into action already by designing a time machine. This will help us to ‘go back’ in time and learn about different centuries. The children will be creating some form of documentation about their own ‘history’. Please send in some baby, toddler and early child photos. We are going to use these photos during the lessons so I won’t be able to send them back home. Thank you.
   
English focus of the week: We had so much fun putting the actions of the sounds together to form words. Some children have an amazing memory and are brilliant at this game. Blue and green groups were introduced to the ‘ee’ and ‘oa sounds and they have collected and practiced writing words with the new sounds. Blue group formed and wrote sentences as well. Purple group read a sweet poem about ‘The little red boot’ and filled in a comprehension questionnaire related to the poem. They also learned some new sounds: ‘ay’ and ‘ea’ and looked at the alternative pronunciation of some sounds.
Maths focus of the week. This week the children learned that there are 100cm in one metre. They had to select either a metre stick, trundle wheel, tape measure or ruler to measure different sized items, e.g. length of the tennis courts, height of the table, width of a book etc. They then recorded the information on a chart. I was pleased that most of them made good decisions when selecting their tool for measuring and that they were able to work quite independently. Next week we will finish our work on measure and move on to work relating to money.
What to bring to school every day:

Indoor shoes – please remember to send the indoor shoes back as it can get very muddy after heavy rains.

A hat, a water bottle and a healthy snack. The rule is: No hat, no play, no fun.
The Week Ahead: Monday: Swimming – please bring: trunk/costume, towel, swimming cap (for long hair), flip flops (the concrete by the pool can get very hot), sun lotion, and a plastic bag for the wet kit. Homework goes home. Tuesday: Library Wednesday: ‘Show and Tell’ for Group 1. Thursday: PE lesson – trainers please Friday: School ends at 12:35.
Thank you for your co-operation! – Have a great week ahead! Kind regards, Ms Andrea, P1/2 Teacher

Dear Parents, P2/3s have had a wonderful first week back after the long holiday. They have settled back into class and school routines smoothly. They have also welcomed our newest class member Amaya with open arms. This week we have celebrated many birthdays. If you would like to bring a cake or cupcakes to celebrate future birthdays, please email me a few days before. We usually celebrate them around 10 o’clock before snack time.
This coming Friday 27th January 7:35am is P2/3 assembly.
This Week in class: The children have been sharing their holiday experiences orally and in their written work through personal narratives. They have looked into stretching their stories out and including important details in order to tell one event that happened to them.
In reading each class member is a member of a book club. They have set book club expectations and begun to work together in their just right reading level book club.
In Math, they have been inquiring into fractions. They have been looking around and identifying fractions and where fractions are used in everyday life (telling time, food, groups of things).
The Week Ahead in class: Unit of Inquiry This week we will be continuing with our new unit and looking at the following lines of inquiry: How we organize ourselves Central idea – Human made systems are carefully designed to achieve multiple purposes. Lines of inquiry – Where our food comes from – System involved in growing and processing food If there are any parents who can help with this unit either sharing, field trip suggestion etc., please email: .
Reading: During reading this week the children will be part of a reading book club. During their book club, they will be reading the same book as other members independently. They will then have the opportunity to discuss the book (parts of it at a time) with their group. This will look differently for different groups depending on the groups reading level.
Writing: We will continue to develop our personal narrative pieces in writing this week. The children will focus on sketching their story first and stretching one event over many pages. They will then be working adding dialogue, feelings and expression in their writing. The children will be encouraged to show their story and not just write what happened.
Math: This week in Math we will be continuing our focus on fractions. We will be looking at equivalent fraction (whole and half) and fractions of a group of things. During last week, some of the children’s questions based around our current unit were about weight. We will be spending individual inquiry time on this.
The Week Ahead: Monday: Home readers and homework go home. Tuesday: Library and Swimming Wednesday: P3 French Thursday: P3 French Friday: PE | Please return homework | P2/3 assembly 7:35
Have a great week Clare Hibbard P2/3

    This quarter our Unit of Inquiry is related to economics and tourism. The transdisciplinary theme is: How we Organize ourselves. Central Idea: The Exchange of Goods and Services is complex and determined by many factors. The lines of Inquiry:

features of the tourism industry (form)

services within tourism (function)

interconnected factors that affect tourism (connection) We are excited to be attending a camp at Marangu Falls on Tuesday where we will get to explore these concepts first hand. We are crafting questions to ask our guides that will help us understand how all these services are connected.

In Math this week we will be focused on reviewing our 3 and 4 times tables as well as improving the speed of recall of this week’s tables. We will be analyzing and gathering data throughout this unit and introducing the idea of spreadsheets to organize book-keeping. In English we have been working on poems describing our holidays. An emphasize on colourful and descriptive language will remain a focal point. We will be writing recounts of our camp adventures and practicing what we have learned. Reminders: We are presenting an Assembly at 7:35am in Karibu Hall on Monday morning. You are welcome to attend.

In France Tinge le lak Holiday Poem Howling wind everywhere in the night In the morning I smell the fresh, crisp air The fire keeping us warm The soft, icy snow landing on the window I see people making a snowman I hear skiers on the piste I zoomed down the piste very fast with skis and sticks I did a wrong turn and slipped on the snow. Oh no! The snow tastes like ice I see cabin and chair lifts going up and down I am happy. By Fedya

Tuesday: Do remember to send your child with a pack lunch, hat and full bottle of water. Please add a swimsuit to the packing list- just in case. Julie Bowen, (P4/5 Class Teacher)

It has been a great week, The P6 students have been enthusiastic about their upcoming Exhibition and asking lots of questions. All students have now presented their Summative Assessments of their previous unit and they have done a fantastic job. In Language Arts the students are learning about myths. They were reminded what myths are and learned about some of their characteristics. The students sketched mythical creatures, which they will use to inspire the kind of myths they will write. They are also using a phenomenon that happens on Earth today as part of their story line.
In Math, we have looked at the different ways basic algebra can be recorded and solved. We will continue to practice this next week and look at word problems as well. We will also remind ourselves of the different types of triangles and learn about calculating the area. In relation to our unit we will talk about how surface area is connected to the force and energy exerted on an object. We look at questions like; Why are solar panels wide?
In our Units of Inquiry, we have looked at the different forms of energy at the school. Some students were lucky enough to go into the Chemistry lab and see some of the forms of energy that are used in there. They learned about the Bunsen burner, fume chamber which acts as a ventilator, water spray to clean any dangerous substances that may spill on a student and that all these need energy to be able to function. Thanks to Ms Ogello for that spontaneous inquiry lesson. In the coming week, we will look at the different forms of energy and what they are suitable for. We will also learn how energy is transformed in order for it to be useful for different purposes.
Next week’s focus The timetable for the week remains the same. Homework will be sent home on Monday 23rd of January. On Friday for Primary Gathering the P6s will be MCing for the P2/3s. Ms Cathy.

IN THIS ISSUE