Moshi Campus News – 19 Feb 2017

Dear Parents, I hope that all are enjoying the long weekend holiday. Our boarders have spent the last two nights in Pangani at the school’s beach house – they are due back in Moshi this evening; classes restart on Tuesday morning at 7:30am. Meanwhile a group of mainly D1 students are leaving this morning to travel to Nairobi to take part in next week’s East African Model United Nations. We wish them much success as they participate in this challenging but very valuable experience.
Next Friday we will be holding another Blood Drive in school and hope to be able to collect some much needed blood for KCMC. On Sunday there will be the Kilimanjaro Marathon (with half-marathon and 5km race) and we are hoping that many students and parents will take part. Meanwhile the ISA tests conclude on Wednesday this week, whilst on the same day our M1 students head off to Lake Manyara with their Arusha Campus counterparts on their inter-disciplinary field trip.
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Kilimanjaro Marathon
We are hoping that many parents, students and teachers will join in the Kilimanjaro Marathon next Sunday morning, 26th February. In addition to the regular marathon, there is a half-marathon (21.1km) and a 5km run. We would encourage all runners connected to ISM to wear an ISM T-shirt for the event – T-shirts are available to purchase from Reception.
If you wish to register for the event, please download and print/complete the registration form which is available at www.uwcea.org/wp-content/docs/archive_documents/marathon_entryform.pdf. If you wish, registration forms can be submitted to Grace Mkumbwa in school and ISM will submit the forms on your behalf. Please submit the required entry fee with your form. If you are entering for the full or half marathon, you must also attach proof of your Tanzanian citizenship, or a copy of your residence permit, as appropriate. We will then be issuing race numbers on Saturday (times to be announced by email).
Further details of the marathon are available at www.kilimanjaromarathon.com. You can watch the full and half marathons on Lema Road near the school. The first runners are expected past the school at approximately 8am.
Once again ISM students will be supporting one of the water points on the route (a couple of km north of the school) and providing water and other assistance to the runners.
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Blood Drive
After the huge success of our Blood Drive last Semester, we are planning another Blood Drive next Friday, 24th February from 2pm to 4:30pm. KCMC Hospital is in great need of blood supplies which are in short supply. You can help by giving about one hour of your time to donate blood to be used at the hospital. We would like to encourage as many members of the community to come to school to donate blood as feel able.
A number of doctors from KCMC who are members of our community have kindly offered to join us to support the KCMC and blood donation staff to ensure that the event is a success and that all operates smoothly.
If you are over 18 years of age, in generally good health, and weigh more than 50kg, we would be very grateful for your support. Students who are 16 or 17 years old require parental permission to donate blood. A tiny drop of blood is taken from your fingertip. This allows the medical staff to check your haemoglobin levels and ensure that giving blood won’t make you anaemic. If all is well, you will be able to donate blood. You will donate about 470ml of blood – this amount of blood is quickly replaced by your body. Once you have given blood, you should have a short rest before being given some refreshments. All in all giving blood shouldn’t take more than an hour. Please remember to have something to eat and drink before you give blood. There will be some light refreshments available for donors in school.
Please do try to help and join us to donate on 24th February. Whether you are a first time donor or a frequent donor, you will be very welcome. Please spread this message amongst your friends and colleagues so that we can maximise the success of this event.
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Secondary News
I hope everyone has a restful long weekend. It will be nice for the students taking the ISA tests to have a short break before resuming on Tuesday. A big congratulation to the M5 students on completing the Personal Project. I am sure that they are glad that is over. However the M5 mock exams will start on Tuesday February 28th.
On Sunday morning 14 students will be heading to Nairobi for the East African MUN Conference and returning the following weekend. From what I have seen of the program they are in for a busy but exciting trip. And on Wednesday, our M1 students will head off to Manyara for their interdisciplinary trip. Bob Cofer
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Boarding News
This was a long weekend, and classes ended last Thursday in the afternoon, to resume on Tuesday 21st February. Primary and MYP boarders left for a weekend trip to Pangani on Friday morning. They spent the weekend along the coast in Pangani, where the school owns a property. This was an opportunity to relax, even as they enjoyed fun activities such as swimming and other water games. The team of boarding parents and volunteers that accompanied the boarders planned various activities for the boarders. These included ‘Capture the Flag’, a movie night and board games, swimming and surfing, a tour of Pangani town, beach Olympics and a Beach Party. They will return to campus on Sunday 19th February evening.
A good number of boarders went home for the long weekend, while many Diploma students stayed on campus. They joined in various planned activities, including sports, a disco and water polo.
Please note that boarders are not allowed to ride on boda-bodas (motor bikes), tuk-tuks (motor cycle taxis) or any open vehicle. They are also not permitted to ride in a vehicle driven by a fellow student, unless prior arrangement has been made in writing by parents, and the information is included in the student’s parental consent form. Students are also not allowed to drive any motor vehicle on campus unless specific written permission has been given by the Head of Campus. Rosemary Bango, (Head of Boarding)
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International Schools’ Assessment
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 continue with tests this week by taking a final Writing test on Tuesday, 21st February. The M3 students will additionally take a Science test on Wednesday, 22nd February.
If you would like to read more about ISA tests, please see https://www.acer.edu.au/isa.
Parents are requested to read the ISA Privacy Information available at www.uwcea.org/wp-content/docs/archive_documents/isa_privacy.pdf
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ISM Scholarships
Applications for ISM scholarships to join our diploma programme for 2017 to 2019 have now closed. We have received a very large number of extremely high quality applications including those from a majority of the students on the NECTA top twenty in the country list. It is heartening that ISM scholarships are so highly valued by acdemically strong students, but this will make our selection task extremely difficult. Interviews will be conducted in Moshi in about 12 days’ time.
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Sports News
HOME OF THE LEOPARDS Our Leopards teams find themselves in a short break between rounds of the NTAA, and have found it difficult to keep their motivation. It is necessary to continue the commitment regardless the situation. Please find below the happenings these past couple of weeks.
Sporting News Our Leopard teams are now in a short break as the await the final weekend of NTAA which is on the 4th of March at ISMAC. Teams are keeping themselves sharp at practices, and participating in friendly games versus local competition.
As always you can keep yourself up to date with the important links:
  • Season Two Practice Timetable: www.uwcea.org/sportspractice
  • NTAA Schedule of Events. www.uwcea.org/sportsmeeting
    House Competition Another week in the books for the ISM Indoor Football Tournament, and always the games are highly competitive and the crowds have been enthusiastic. Curry FC still hold a slim lead at the top of the table over the Karibu Krackers (Teachers), but there are lots of games to be played, so it can be any teams tournament. Please click here for the Tournament Schedule: www.uwcea.org/sports_house. We look forward to the rest of the tournament.
    Activities As always the ISM Sports Department wants to advertise three excellent after-school 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)
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    Tennis Tournament

    Twenty adults including six from TPC and five from Moshi Club participated in last Sunday’s fabulous day-long ‘adult male’ tennis tournament (and two adult women who played in the adult male tournament!) sponsored by AMEG Lodge (www.ameglodge.com). The evident spirit of friendly athletic competition contributed to the day’s wonderful ambience in which fun was had by all! Great tennis was also in evidence! Pictured below is the photo of the winner Bruno Temba (from Moshi Club) and the runner-up Rick Fitzpatrick. ISM recognizes and commends the dedication and support of AMEG Lodge (Priya and Rajen Shah) as well as Maria Chauhan in arranging the logistics and complex bracket (4 groups of 5 each) for this wonderful event.
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    Diploma Updates
    Update:
  • D1 Raft Race – Great fun and entertaining. See photos. Winning team – the Rafters (D1s – Sanne, Cynthia, Mercy, Rajvir, Nickson, Kimali; P6 – Jonah)
  • D1s are finalizing their preferences (first, second, third) for EE subject. Then, ISM will review its available DP faculty and plan. Many may not get their 1st choice due to the IB’s general guideline of three EEs per supervisor.
    D2 Mock Exams These are unique in that they are taken under true ‘exam conditions’ (including timed conditions, exam room seating structure, ‘off’ normal lessons timetable, etc). The ‘mocks’ mirror the experience that will occur in the 3-week IB DP May exams. While the results provide an indicator of cumulative DP subject content knowledge, they also reveal a great deal about the student and his/her capacity to respond under the exam pressure situation to the demands of the questions and coherently respond with the ‘correct answer’ (Math/Science) or a clear and well-presented response or argument (Languages/ Humanities/ Math). So, the results address far more than just providing a glimpse of where the IB DP student is in terms of grasp of the IB DP subject content. The mock exam results tend to closely match what will occur in the official May exams for most students. Nevertheless, each year some determined, organized and deliberate IB DP students do improve on their ‘mock’ scores. This appears to also be linked to wise time management in this current crucial February to April period. Parents’ generous encouragement, loving support, and frequent communications in these months will also play a key role. The ISM faculty will continue to do its level best to push your child so that he/she will hopefully be genuinely pleased on July 6th – the IB DP worldwide exam results release date – with their IB DP results.
    Graduation Weekend: * the May 2017 ISM DP Graduation Weekend comprises four events: a) Decoration of Karibu Hall – Friday May 19th 9am-noon (this annually serves as a wonderful event where the graduates and their parents work together with the ‘decorating theme’ to adorn the hall.) b) Grad Friday eve dinner May 19th at AMEG Lodge in Moshi at 6:30pm (ISM pays for the graduate and two family members and additional family members are welcome so long as they pay c) Graduation Ceremony – Saturday May 20th – Seating opens at 2:00pm. The ceremony begins at 2:30pm d) Post-Graduation Tea in the ISM Director’s Garden – Saturday May 20th approximately 4:30-6:30pm.
    Rick Fitzpatrick, (Diploma Coordinator):
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    Early Childhood Preview
    I hope you enjoyed the long weekend. Due to the swimming gala and the Friday holiday we still have plenty to work on from last week.
    Unit of Inquiry We began our inquiry into shadows and the children had some good ideas of what a shadow is and how it is made. Michael said, “Get a light, I will stand through the light and a shadow will come.” The children will continue with their observations next week and will make up some simple shadow puppet plays after watching a few examples on youtube. If you have a torch that we could borrow on Tuesday it would be really helpful. I will keep it safe and return it at the end of school on Tuesday. The class had some fantastic ideas about why we use different lights for different purposes. We will continue to brainstorm this next week. As lights are used in many religious and cultural ceremonies I would be very grateful if you or your child could tell us a little bit about how and why you use light for these purposes. Please let me know so that we can book a time. We have already started to think about candles being used for birthday celebrations so this is something you could discuss with your child at home and see if they have any ideas about other celebrations.
    Literacy
  • Continue to look at the difference between fiction and non-fiction books
  • Continue to work on individual non-fiction books about light and their uses.
  • EC1s will find out about the sound w made by Walter Walrus (not covered last week)
  • EC2s will continue working on rhyming words through stories and games.
  • We are also leading the assembly with P5 on Monday February 27th so the children will be practicing their lines. Please help your child when the lines are sent home. Some children are not ready to speak in front of such a large audience in Karibu Hall and will participate in another way.
    Numeracy
  • Number activities will be according to the children’s level, working in groups on counting objects and matching groups of objects to numerals. The EC1s will go on a nature hunt to collect interesting things to count.
  • Numbers will be hidden in the sand and water this week for recognition and sequencing.
  • We will go on a hunt round the campus for different types of lights and make graphs to show what we have found out.
  • EC2 will focus on writing numbers.
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    P1/2 Preview
    I hope you enjoyed the long holiday and managed to get some rest.
    Congratulations Everybody in P1/2 for participating in the Primary Swimming Gala. It is amazing how much the children have improved their swimming skills. Yuji, Levi, Rhea, Neville and Eddie could not swim unaided at the beginning of the school year and now they swim like a fish.
    Our 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 This week the children were engaged in making their Family trees. After a short brainstorming conversation and some guidance the children planed and drew their own trees and practiced writing the names of their close family members. We were also trying to incorporate the key concepts – perspective and reflection into real life situations.
    English focus of the week In English we have learnt about Simple Past including some regular and irregular verbs. This was a great opportunity to connect with the central idea and talk about special events in our lives using correct tenses. The children were also very busy writing down very significant events in their lives, such as ‘first time when I started walking, first time when I had a snake on my neck’, etc. Some of the children are still struggling to form the letters properly therefore we also practised neat and legible writing using the Nelson Handwriting letter formations.
    Maths focus of the week This week we carried on revising adding and subtracting, number bonds to 10 and 20 and shapes. The children had a great time using soft shapes to build creative pictures with them.
       
    What to bring to school every day:
  • Indoor shoes
  • A hat, a water bottle and a healthy snack. The rule is: No hat, no play, no fun.
    Monday – No school Tuesday – Homework goes home | 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
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    P2/3 Preview
    Well done to all the P2/3 children for their participation and enthusiasm during the Primary swimming gala this past Wednesday. They had so much fun and showed excellent sportsmanship. This is a reminder to all please send in the camping trip permission slip along with payment, if you have not already done so. Thank you.
    This Week in class: It’s been a short, but busy week in P2/3. The children have improving their typing skills in the computer lab. They are becoming more confident saving a file in a folder on desktop. Those who have taken part in book club have shown that they are responsible readers and listeners during club discussions. In math, the focus has been on money and showing different values and some have been working on calculating change.
    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 – Systems connected with food production The children have designed their ideal compost bin and we will now choose a prototype to make. It will be one that we will use to dispose our snack waste. Many of the children have been questioning whether certain materials can be put into a compost and if so why and why not. We will be completing some science experiences around these questions. We will also be creating our summative assessment tool for this unit and brainstorming ideas and skills that they think should be included.
    Reading: We will continue with book clubs this week. The focus for all readers will be to STOP and Self Monitor (stop and think to make sure you are understanding what you read). This is an important self-checking skill. In book club, they will be focusing on creating a mental picture in your mind of what you are reading.
    Writing: The children will be selecting writing pieces to add to their growing portfolios, so this week they will be choosing, editing and finalizing writing pieces.
    Math: We will continue to review money. The children will also be reviewing addition and subtraction facts.
    The Week Ahead: Monday: Holiday Tuesday: Library and Swimming. Homework will go home today Wednesday: P3 French Thursday: P3 French Friday: PE. Please return completed homework.
    Useful websites: www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/money Have a great week Clare Hibbard P2/3
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    P4/5 Preview

    This has been another exciting week. Many of the ISA tests are now completed and I was impressed with the confidence with which the children approached formalized testing.
    On Wednesday the students collaborated with their house teams to showcase their developing swim skills. I enjoyed seeing how much they are learning in swimming class and the quality of swimming from all our students was amazing!
    The students began to work in their groups to develop organizational flow charts for their business development plan and identify positions that might suit members of their group. They have outlined the product or service they will offer and what makes their business unique. We have started brainstorming good questions for our market analysis which will happen early next week.
    We will begin to tackle the marketing and advertising plan and begin drafting our official proposals. We will be using Excel and mathematical skills to be determining projected expenses and look at the idea of profit/loss. The students are very excited about these projects and may request that you become a board member – I hope that you will share your expertise with them or direct them to a family member who can become a sounding board for their ideas.
    Have a lovely long weekend! Julie Bowen, (P4/5 Class Teacher)
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    P5 Preview
    The week started very well for the P5 students with the announcement that they had won the door decorating competition as part of the book week celebrations! The children were justifiably proud of themselves. Wednesday was the PYP swimming gala and all of the P5 students participated. The children showed skill, commitment and enthusiasm – I was very proud of them.
    The children have participated in the ISA online assessments this week. We have one left to do on Tuesday. The rest of the week was spent revising story writing and opinion writing techniques and reading. In maths classes we practiced recording money and also revised subtraction strategies. The children shared their designs for their toy or model that illustrates a transformation of energy and we have drawn up a list of the supplies we will need. Construction of these models will start next week. I have some of the materials needed and the children tell me they have some of the things they need at home. Please talk to your child and if they are planning on bringing plastic bottles, boxes etc. to school please remind him/her to bring things in on Tuesday. I welcome spare materials from anyone just in case someone needs extra things on the day. Next week in maths the children will work on subtraction. In Language and UOI they will research how energy is used in our everyday lives and will write up their findings.
    Scarlett and Amaya brought in model rafts to show us, Paige mixed vinegar with baking powder to inflate a balloon with gas and Patrick demonstrated his homemade bow and arrow. Well done to all these children for showing enthusiasm and initiative.
    We had a photo from Mr. Marvin (our student teacher from last semester) this week showing him standing outside in the snow in Denmark. We are happy to see he has not forgotten us and will write back to him next week with our tales of the Tanzanian heat!
    The week ahead: Monday – No school Tuesday – PE, Music and ISA (no French.) Bring in library books and construction materials for UOI project. Homework will be sent home. Wednesday – Swahili Thursday – French Friday – Swimming, Music, Swahili. Please return homework to school.
    A date for your diaries. Monday, 27th February – the P5 students will be presenting in assembly in Karibu Hall at 7:35. Please come along and support your child. Deborah Mills, (P5 Teacher)
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    P6 Preview
    The week was buzzing with action. We started with the D1 raft race and some P6s were chosen to be part of these teams. We also had our Primary School Inter-house Swim Gala and the sportsmanship amongst the children was admirable. The level of team spirit made it a successful event and everyone had a great time.
    The ISA tests were running throughout the week and the students worked well within the time given. They were very Principled while working on their various assessments.
    We made s’mores (biscuit sandwiches, with marshmallow and chocolate filling) using the solar ovens made by a group of students. It was a wonderful treat for the students as they left to start their long weekend.
    In the coming week we will start our Exhibition journey on the 22nd of this month. It is going to be a short week and the students will work on organizing their mentor meetings, develop a central idea, lines of inquiry and the other elements they will be using to address the unit of inquiry. Our Math and Language will be done to support our Exhibition unit therefore we are going to review tools to gather data and look at a number of graphic organizers that we can use to tune into the unit.
    The students will also be developing their Summative Assessment and rubric, as they need to know what they are working towards.
    Next week’s focus: Monday – no school Tuesday – French, Music and Art Wednesday – P.E., French, Swahili and Exhibition begins Thursday – Music and I.T. Ms Cathy.
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    IN THIS ISSUE
    Kili Marathon
    Blood Drive
    Secondary News
    Boarding News
    ISA Tests
    Scholarships
    Sports News
    Tennis
    Diploma News
    Primary Previews
    CONTACT US International School Moshi
    PO Box 733
    Moshi, Tanzania
    Tel: +255 27 2755005
    Fax: +255 736 605320
    Email:

    Mobile:
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    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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