Moshi Campus News – 11 Aug 2018

Welcome to all new and returning families.  As normal to start the year there are a lot of new faces around campus and we welcome all new staff, students and families to the ISM community.

In a few weeks the PTA will be hosting an event that will allow us the opportunity to get better acquainted in a social setting.

As you enter campus you will notice that the school staff has been working hard to make sure that the school looks great for students and provides the best facilities around.  Among some of the work done, Karibu hall has had a bit of a facelift and the floor has been refinished.  The pool has also been repainted over the break.  I doubt that returning parents will fail to notice the work done on the office building.  I could go on, but I will let you discover some of the other work on your own.  I thank all of the school staff that worked so hard over the school break to improve our school facilities.

I would also like to congratulate some people not coming back.  Over the summer our graduates received their Diploma Exam results and there were some fantastic scores.  Well done and we wish you the best of luck at university.

Bob Cofer

Due to the finishing work on the K-hall floor, we will split the normal opening assembly.  The secondary will have an assembly on the Monday at 9:30am in Rafiki and the Primary will have an assembly at 7:35am on Friday in Rafiki.

Bob Cofer

Lunch tickets and shirts will be available on Monday morning.  The tickets are 7,000 Tsh and the shirts are 10,000 Tsh.  As we are still working on the main office building, they will be available near reception.

On Friday August 24th, we will have our first Farmers’ Market of the year.  This will be open from 11am to 2pm.  We look forward to seeing you there.

On Tuesday August 21st at 7:45am we will have an opportunity for parents to meet Ben Morley, our new Deputy Head of Campus.  Join us in the Social Center for coffee, tea and nice conversation.

Karibu Sana!

A warm welcome to the new school year. My name is Ben Morley and I am very proud and excited to be the new Deputy Head of Campus here at ISM. I will be supporting teaching and learning across the school, from EC-D2, working alongside the students and teachers and, hopefully, contributing in any way I can to the wonderful ISM community.

We will be using this newsletter to keep you informed about the ongoing learning across the Secondary School, to highlight specific curriculum events and give details of special days in the Secondary School or elsewhere and, above all, to share and celebrate your children’s achievements at school.

Secondary students will start the new school year on Monday 13th August at 7:30am. The first day is designed to allow returning students to reconnect with the school community and, of course, to welcome new students and give them the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new environment.

After time with their new tutors and classmates, M2-M5 students will start attending classes after break.  The M1 students will have an extended orientation period with their tutor, Mr Marsh, before starting classes.  During the day, our M1-M2 students will get a paper copy of their schedule and our M3-D2 students will familiarise themselves with the electronic versions shared with them.

For our D1 students, the first two days will provide an introduction to the IB Diploma Programme and they will follow a different schedule on these days.  Our D2 students will restart classes on Monday after the initial time with their tutors.

We are all looking forward to getting to know you and your children over the coming weeks and working closely with you throughout the year.

Ben Morley

Boarders return to school on Sunday 12th August.  Boarding parents will be on duty to receive them on that day.

The school provides free transport from KIA and from Moshi airport. This can only be arranged if the parents/students send us flight details in advance. This information can be sent to rosemarybango@ed.ismoshi.com, or by phone on 0689 772 346.

Parents are reminded to fill in new Parent Consent forms for this year. These can be downloaded from the school website. Note that students will not be allowed out of campus if these forms are not filled.

All parents are also expected to furnish the school with medical information concerning their children. Kindly access the health forms from our website and let them be sent to us as soon as possible.

Brian Jackson has joined the boarding team as MYP boys boarding parent and Ian Horne will be joining us with the DP boys from this year.

Rosemary Bango

Welcome to the 2018-2019 academic year. We hope you had a restful break with the children. We are looking forward to partnering with you in the education of your children and thanks for choosing ISM as your school.

MYP May 2018 Results Highlights
The M5 results are out and we are pleased to announce an improvement in 2018 results over 2017. Students overall mean average increased as did the top scores. We wish to congratulate the candidates for their hard work and parents for their support.

Opening Day – Monday August 13
We wish to emphasize that learning will begin on the first day of school. Here is the schedule for the first day.
7:30am – Students in their Home Rooms with respective Form Tutors
9:35am – Whole School Assembly in Rafiki Hall
10:35 am – Lessons Begin
                – New MYP students take Language placement test in Rm 30
3:00pm – School ends.

MYP Mathematics Courses in M5
Following the re-alignment of MYP Mathematics curriculum that was done by teachers towards the end of the last academic year, the M5 students who selected Extended Mathematics will take a test in the second week of school to see how they align with the revised curriculum. The Mathematics teachers will support them with revision of the topics covered in M4 during the first week of learning.

Extended Mathematics is the MYP Mathematics option that prepares students with demonstrable ability to do Mathematics Higher Level (HL) at the Diploma Programme.

Other Subject Choices in M4 and M5
M4 students made choices in various courses including languages, arts and mathematics towards the end of last year. M5s only made choices in arts and mathematics. Parents are encouraged to verify the choices with their children.

David Ochieng

ISM Leopards

We are only a couple of weeks from the beginning of the new seasons here at ISM. I am delighted to be given the responsibility of taking ISM sport to a new level of enjoyment, participation and of course success.

To ensure the success of any sports programme, it requires a great deal of support. So, if you are a parent, teacher, MYP or DP student (CAS opportunity) interested in coaching or assisting in one or more of the sports offered here at ISM (Touch Rugby, Ultimate Frizz bee, Basketball, Volleyball, Athletics, Netball and Swimming), please contact me (robinmarsh@ed.ismoshi.com)

There is an exciting year of fixtures organised at the NTAA competitions. ISM has more hosting opportunities than ever.  The ever-popular sports weekend in November will soon be upon us, this and a full schedule of swim meets should help to keep students fit and healthy all year.

Thank you all in advance for your support of the Leopards Sports program,

Robin Marsh
Head of Sport

Our Outdoor Pursuits program will kick off soon for the new school year.  We start with our introductory levels this quarter which will allow the M1 students and others new to the secondary to get the required experience before we start the higher levels.  We encourage everyone to get involved in this longstanding ISM program.  More details will be presented to the students and coming to parents in the next week.

Karibu Sana!

A warm welcome to the new school year. My name is Ben Morley and I am very proud and excited to be the new Deputy Head of Campus here at ISM. I will be supporting teaching and learning across the school, from EC-D2, working alongside the students and teachers and, hopefully, contributing in any way I can to the wonderful ISM community.

We will be using this newsletter to keep you informed about the ongoing learning across the Primary School, to highlight specific events, celebrate special days and, above all, to share your children’s achievements at school.

At this stage, we believe it is important for the children to begin to develop a sense of community and belonging at school. We want them to feel safe, secure and valued. There are many new faces and routines for us all to get to know and this is what we will concentrate on next week as we start to work collaboratively and build relationships.

Ben Morley

School begins on Monday 13th August. Children should arrive by 7:20am for a 7:30am start. You are welcome to come directly to the classrooms to meet your child’s class teacher and Education Assistant. Children should be sent to school with a bag containing a healthy snack and a water bottle (or else purchase a snack ticket from Reception). Children are reminded to wear an ISM t-shirt (also available from Reception) and sensible, closed shoes (not flipflops or Crocs).

The beginning of the year is such a fun time. It is wonderful to meet the new families and to also catch up with the continuing families about the holidays. I hope you all had a great break and that you are back safely. The Primary team looks forward to meeting all our new students and their families and we are very excited about the year ahead.

Clubs will not start until the second week therefore all children are expected to go home at 1:05 p.m.

On Friday, 17th August we will have a Primary Gathering in Rafiki Hall from 7:40 a.m. for about half an hour. Parents are welcome.

As we start the quarter, kindly ensure your child comes to school with a hat, a drinking bottle, a snack, indoor shoes and P.E gear on the respective days. An email will be sent home to inform you when swimming starts and the specialist timetable will be sent out to you by homeroom teachers in the coming week.

We wish you all a great start and look forward to meeting you on Monday.

Cathy Wambua-Saha – PYP Coordinator

On Thursday 23rd August, we will hold our ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening for Primary School parents. This is an opportunity for you to find out more about the upcoming year and to meet your child’s new teacher. The evening will help you gain a better understanding of what happens in your child’s classroom and the wider community and, hopefully, allow you to support learning at home. We encourage all parents to attend. Please note that the information shared will be about classroom routines and practices in general and will not be for discussions about individual students. The evening will begin at 6:30pm in Rafiki Hall and then move to the classrooms.

Ben Morley

Clubs will not begin until the second week, i.e. on Monday 20th August. Parents will be able to help their children sign up for clubs during the first week back at school.

All P1–P6 primary day students will go home at 1:05pm for the first week of school. Please make arrangements to collect your child/ren at this time. Please note that EC children will go home at 11:15am and all EC–P6 will go home at 12:35pm every Friday.

In the Primary School, we work very much as a team and we encourage you to play an active role in your child’s learning throughout the year. Hopefully, these newsletters will spark your collective imagination and give you ideas on how to extend learning at home or share your own related experiences with the children. We are very much looking forward to your input. We hope to answer many of your questions at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening but, until then, please do not hesitate to contact any of us if you have a question or query.

We are all looking forward to getting to know you and your children over the coming weeks and working closely with you throughout the year.

Ben Morley

To all new ISM Families,

Welcome! ISM Swimming (aka the Swimming Leopards) have a fun and exciting 2018-19 season planned, including regular team workouts and swim galas, both in the Moshi-Arusha area and away. If your children are interested in joining our Primary or Varsity swim teams, please contact Christine Brandsma, Debbie Bachmann or Coach Sabini Temba for more information – ismswimming@gmail.com.

We hope to see you at the pool.

Welcome back. There’s been a few changes over the summer to our EC classroom that I think the children are going to enjoy. I’ll let you know over the coming weeks how you might be able to get involved in our journey towards a more gentle and natural learning space for our little ones. School hours are as normal from Monday with pick up at 11.15. Please pack a snack, hat, water bottle, indoor shoes and a change of clothes as usual. Swimming won’t start just yet and I’ll let you know about our PE and Library days when we meet. Our first trip back to the UK in more than two years was a success, spending good (and hot!) times with family and old friends. It’s great to be back home in Moshi and I’m looking forward to catching up with you all and seeing how much the kids have grown!

Owain Evans

What a long holiday we have had. I hope you are very well rested and ready to start this new exciting year ahead. I am looking forward to meeting all the new students and catching up with returning ones.

In the middle of the week, we will be starting to brainstorm our first unit of inquiry which will be looking into what friendship means. This is a fitting theme to start with as it will help us to build friendships that will last throughout this and the coming years.

A schedule will be sent home within this first week of school. Please remember to send a hat, a water bottle and a snack with your child. Also, please send in a set of clothes that your child can change into if she/he needs it in case of little accidents.

• Monday: P.E./Library
• Tuesday: Music
• Wednesday: P.E.
• Thursday: Swahili
• Friday:  Swahili/Music

Mboka Mwasongwe

Hello! My name is Elisha Jaffer and I have the honour of being your child’s teacher this academic year. I have moved to Moshi from Dar es Salaam where I have most recently worked at One Planet Pre School and Primary school. I have been teaching an ECC and KG mixed grade there. Prior to One Planet, I have been teaching 2nd grade at Dar es Salaam International Academy. I look forward to working with you and your children this upcoming year and would love to have you in the classroom should you be willing to come in and share your knowledge with us!

This upcoming week will be all about getting to know each other and introduce ourselves to our new Unit of Inquiry which is all about relationships. This will fuse well in a week where we will be setting up classroom expectations and behaviour.  

I will be sending home a schedule on Monday and am happy to answer any questions you have in the meantime.

Preparations to make for next week:

• Monday – PE – running shoes, hat, sunscreen and water
• Wednesday – PE – running shoes, hat, sunscreen and water
• Friday – Library – Library bag

Elisha Jaffer

Dear P4 Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to the “New Year.” I hope you all had a lovely holiday. Mine was great; I visited family in the States and had a wonderful experience.

I am excited to be teaching your children this academic year and look forward to the learning journey we will share.

During the week we will focus on organising our classroom into a space that will be conducive to our learning engagements. The children will decide how they would like to set up the different spaces as well as develop some essential agreements. We will also set goals, engage in a number of ice-breakers and team building activities and complete our unit pre-assessment.

In the first week we will have no homework however daily reading is encouraged. Specialist subjects will kick off from day one with the exception of swimming which starts in September. Kindly ensure your child wears trainers for P.E. lessons.

Remind your child to bring a hat, indoor shoes (these can be left in class), a water bottle and a snack to school everyday.

The specialist subjects are as follows;

• Monday: Swahili, P.E.
• Tuesday: French and Music
• Wednesday: French and Music
• Thursday: P.E
• Friday: Swahili

Cathy Wambua

A dream has come true to a teacher near you, and I am excited to share my love of learning in a place that is so close to my heart. I first came to Moshi five years ago for Roots and Shoots, and lived in the area for six months. I fell in love with Moshi, ISM, and the surrounding natural environment of the Mt. Kilimanjaro region. I have returned annually from California to offer educational safaris for primary and secondary schools. I look forward to visiting some beautiful places here with a new class, full of children who are engaged and inquisitive.  Together, we are going to have a great year exploring learning, while growing as a community. The P5 class is Room 15. Please send your child to school prepared for the day with a hat, water bottle, and indoor shoes. Please be in touch if you have questions about the schedule, which will go home on the first day of school.

Sarah Brummel

I hope that you and your children have enjoyed the break. I am very much looking forward to working with the children again and am sure that we will have a productive and fun year together. The P6 classroom is Room 16 and our Educational Assistant is Ms. Catherine Shayo. Please remind your child to bring a hat, a water bottle and a pair of indoor shoes on the first day. There will be no homework or after school clubs for the first week. I will send home a schedule on the first day – the children will have P.E. on Tuesday so will need to wear appropriate clothing on that day. Over the first few days we will establish expectations for the year ahead and review the attributes of the learner profile. I am looking forward to seeing the children on Monday morning and hearing all of their news.

Deborah Mills