Moshi Campus News – 14 Feb 2026

I mention this a lot, but it is true that we seldom have nothing going on here in Moshi. While we may consider at times the area a bit sleepy, I do not think the same could be said about campus life. As you read through the newsletter, first you will come across a sample of upcoming events that are going on and you are welcome to attend. There are more than this on the calendar so please check next week for new invites.  

After that you can see the many things that happened this week from Valentine’s Day to Primary Gathering and all sorts of class-based activities. Special congratulations to the D2 class that finished their Mock Exams. While just a formative look at the May exams, they have been a great learning experience.

Parents, please note that we are coming up to our long weekend so there is no school on Friday February 20th and Monday February 23rd.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

Farewell Picnic for Coach Sabini

Our PYP community invites you to join us on Wednesday, February 18th at 12:15 pm for a picnic to honour Coach Sabini, who will attend as our guest of honour. After many years as our dedicated swim coach, Coach Sabini retired last June, and we look forward to finally celebrating his incredible contribution to the school.

Please come and join us as we thank Coach Sabini, share memories, and wish him well in retirement.

We are so proud of our D2 students who finished their mock exams this week. For the most part, the students were positive, resilient and determined. I hope they are enjoying some well-deserved time off this weekend.

We have some exciting performances coming up for the Arts students and are looking forward to the school production at the end of February. Please save the 27 February in your calendars.

Then 12 March will be our annual Evening of the Arts combined with the D2 Art Exhibition opening. Our music and theatre students will also be performing. Community members are warmly invited. It promises to be a wonderful evening.

Catherine Dowie – Head of Diploma

Dear UWCEA Community,

It seems Cupid found his way to Moshi this week!

Our Student Government pulled off a small miracle: organizing, sorting, and delivering nearly 900 Valentine’s gifts. Yes, 900! Roses, chocolates, lollipops, and hundreds of handwritten notes filled with courage, sweetness, and sometimes mystery. If you saw students speed-walking across campus yesterday, it wasn’t a new fitness trend; it was love on a delivery schedule. We even got to enjoy a live duet performance. A huge shout-out to the team for the care, time, and heart they poured into making others feel seen and appreciated.

Adding to the Valentine’s spirit, Mark and Marianne took it upon themselves to perform special duets for classes, teachers, and even unsuspecting passersby around campus. Little musical   moments that caught people off guard in the best way. Nothing like a surprise serenade to brighten the day.

And while love was in the air, determination was in Rafiki Hall – our D2s have officially finished their mock exams. The collective exhale across campus was real. After weeks of revision, stress, and “just one more past paper,” they can finally breathe, sleep a little more, and reconnect with life beyond exam halls. Well done D2s, you’ve earned this moment of relief.

And the celebrations continue…

Saturday evening, Yuliia and the Wellbeing Committee are hosting an open-mic night. Whether you sing, read poetry, play music, or simply cheer others on, come share a little vulnerability and a lot of encouragement. You might even dedicate something to someone who makes your UWCEA experience brighter.

Then on Sunday, our German crew kicks off this semester’s Culture Weeks. Expect stories, traditions, and flavors that bring Germany a little closer to home. Culture Weeks always remind us how lucky we are to live and learn in such a globally rich community.
In short: love, relief, voice, and culture all in one weekend. Not a bad lineup.

Wishing you all a gentle, joyful end of the week, and maybe the courage to send that note you’ve been thinking about!

Best,
Adnan Mackovic – Head of Student Life

Across subjects and year groups, students have been researching, experimenting, problem-solving, and putting their thinking into action, from Science Fair investigations and case-study research to hands-on experiments that didn’t always go exactly as planned (and that’s the point!). Along the way, we’ve also had our fair share of laughter, creativity, and unforgettable moments that remind us that learning is as much about joy and connection as it is about outcomes. Scroll on for a glimpse into serious thinking, exciting projects, and the wonderfully funny moments that make our MYP community what it is.

M3 Science Fair Preps and Experiments

M3 students are deeply involved in their Science Fair projects! Get ready for some exciting Science on campus. Enjoy these photos as an “official trailer”! Thank you Ms. Mika, Mr. Ramy, Mr. Kato, Ms. Irene and Mr. Chris for helping our students become young scientists!

M3 I&S
M3 students have completed a unit on Natural Hazards, and they showed off their understanding and research skills by creating a poster of a volcano they researched for a case study.

M5 Mocks Start On Monday
Our M5 students are getting ready for their round of mock assessments. We wish them all luck! We know they have been working hard, and as always hard work pays off! Good luck M5s, you’ve got this!

Some MYP Funny Moments

As part of the fundraiser by our student government, students celebrated Valentine’s day on Thursday in multiple ways! Ambreen in M2 made us smile by sending love to herself! After all, one needs to love oneself to love others! On another funny note, Louise in M1 decided to race the age of technology and introduce the very first iPhone 26! Please contact her for your orders before it’s too late!

M2 Science
By answering questions correctly, Alice became our M2 Science lab assistant. She conducted the elephant toothpaste experiment successfully and was able to get the expected results. Thank you Mr. Chris and Mr. Justin for preparing and setting this up. The M2s had a blast.

MYP Dates to Remember

• February 16th to 18th – M5 Mock Exams
• February 19th – Secondary Swim Gala
• February 20th to 23rd – Long Weekend (Inclusive)
• February 26th – MYP Personal Project Exhibition
• February 27th & 28th – Moshi Production
• March 2nd to 6th – Book Week
• March 9th to 12th – M5 Final French Orals
• March 12th – Evening of the Arts
• March 17th – Secondary PTCs
• March 19th – Secondary PTCs
• March 27th – Classes End Q3
• March 28th to April 12th – Spring Break (Inclusive)
• April 13th – Q4 Begins & Classes Resume at 7:30 am

Have a wonderful week,
Farah Fawaz – Head of MYP

This week, the M4 Music students have been recording sound effects for their movie soundtracks. We went on a hunt around campus to find, record and layer all sorts of sounds, from metallic gym equipment, to gigantic tsunami waves. The M4s are excited to start mixing in their sound effects with their compositions and into their films next week!

Finn Perring

We had a lovely Valentine’s spirit day on Thursday. The primary school was a sea of pink, white and red. Thank you to Ms. Mboka and the Student Voice for setting up the photo booth and to Mr. Mateusz for taking the photos.

Thank you to everyone who attended the PE primary gathering on Friday to get a glimpse of what the children have been learning about in their PE lessons. Our next gathering will be on Friday, 6th March. The schedule gets a bit disrupted in Semester 2 and our primary gatherings are not always evenly spread.

On Wednesday, 18th February, the primary children will participate in the PYP Swim Gala. Thank you to Coaches Patrick, Collin and Thadeus for the work they are putting into organising this and thank you to all of the parents who have volunteered to work as timers at the event – we are very grateful for your support. The first event (EC/P1) will begin at 8:30am and the gala will be over by 12:15pm. You are very welcome to attend to cheer on the children.

Picnic to celebrate Coach Sabini’s 38 years at ISM/UWCEA

After the swim gala we will be having a picnic to celebrate Coach Sabini’s many years of service in the swimming department. The picnic will start at 12:15pm. The children are invited to bring a dish to share. This will be put on a central table so please name your food containers. The school will provide samosas, popcorn and a cake. We hope to see many of you there. The school day will end at the regular time and clubs will take place in the afternoon as usual.

Book week (2nd – 6th March) is just around the corner and Ms. Kacey has organised a special Book Week T-shirt on the theme of “Stories Connect Us”. The children brought home a T-shirt order form on Thursday. The price of the T-shirts is 15,000 Shillings. Purchase is entirely optional. The last day to order a T-shirt is Tuesday, 17th February. Please send the completed order form and money to your child’s teacher. The plan is for all of the children who purchase a shirt to wear them on Friday, 6th March as part of our Book Week finale. Please begin thinking about your Get Caught Reading photos (a photo of your child reading in an interesting place) and your Book Character costume.

There will be a friendly football match on Moshi Campus against PPA on 27th February at  1:30 – 3:00pm. We will field two teams:  boys age 9 – 11 boys and girls age 9 – 11. Invitations have been issued through Life. Please can you approve your child’s participation or withdraw him/her.

Please note that next week and the following week are 4 day weeks due to the long weekend. (20th – 23rd February inclusive)

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

Thank you Bibi Rowan for coming to show us how to make compost that the red wiggler worm would love. We are looking forward to using the compost later on to plant some seeds.

Next Wednesday, we will participate in the swimming gala with the extra part noted above. I will share the schedule with you once it has been finalised. 

Our class yearbook photos have been scheduled for the 25th of February. This will be the Wednesday after we are back from the long weekend. I will send a reminder as we draw closer to the day.

Mboka Mwasongwe

We had a love-ly week in P 2/3. Two birthdays celebrated and the early Valentine’s Day on Thursday, it was a week filled with fun extras! The class did a terrific job of explaining the games they invented in PE. It has been fun to see the ideas they had for creating the rules of brand new games when allowed to use various equipment. The groups worked so well together and showed lots of support.

The week ahead will be interesting! We have Mama Eleni coming on Monday to introduce us to the German holiday, Fasching. Wednesday is the Swim Gala (please be sure to read the information above). And then it’s the Long Weekend. In the meantime, we’ll fit in plenty of learning. The class is very switched on to our focus on space. We’ve had a terrific time studying the sun, moon and stars already.

Thanks to those who have sent in money for Book Week shirts and P3 camping. Let me know if you have any questions.

Kacey Buckley

Our new unit has got off to a great start. The children have been exploring the choices farmers and consumers make about how food is produced and consumed. They’ve discussed the arguments for organic farming as well as farming that uses inorganic pesticides and fertilisers, and have been thinking carefully about the impact of these approaches.

At home, the children have been investigating their own kitchen cupboards, checking labels to discover where their food comes from. We’re very fortunate in Moshi to have access to so much wonderful local produce. However, working together, we  found enough imported items to carry out a “food miles” (or food kilometres) investigation, which will lead to some thoughtful discussions next week.

In class, we are learning about the conditions needed for seed germination. The children have designed some creative experiments—cress seeds in the freezer, seeds watered with vinegar, seeds given no water at all, and even one pot that was microwaved! We’re looking forward to observing the results and drawing some conclusions.

We have some exciting activities coming up. A letter has gone home with details about our camping trip to Kahawa Shamba on 24th–25th February. During the trip, the children will take part in a coffee tour and learn about coffee production and distribution. Please complete and return the paperwork and money by Tuesday, 17th February, in advance of our visit to the OP store to borrow equipment.

Looking ahead, we are planning to go on a hike with the OP department on 11th March and to visit Simon Mtuy’s farm on 12th March. P4/5 will certainly be making the most of our beautiful surroundings!

Finally, please continue supporting your child with times tables practice at home. I recently emailed a list of online multiplication games that they may enjoy using for extra practice.

Deborah Mills

This week in P6 has been a full one. We said goodbye to Ms. Mia and Ms. Johanne, with Ms. Mia spending Tuesday helping students understand what governments are — and letting them design their own “ideal” systems. Slightly alarming, but very thoughtful.

PYPX continues to move quickly. Interview and survey questions are now complete, and field trips begin next week to the African Blackwood Project, Mbwa Wa Africa, and Mtuy Farm — thank you to Simon and Tara Mtuy for opening their doors to us. Students are currently summarising their lines of inquiry, so please support this at home — PYPX is both homework and classwork right now.

A reminder that the Swim Gala is on Wednesday. Parents, please be seated by 8:15am, and if you’re able to help time and cover lanes, we’d really appreciate it. You’re also warmly invited to Coach Sabini’s farewell — please send some food in with your child to share.

We ended the week being serenaded for Valentine’s Day, with plenty of pink, red, and white on display.

Elisha Jaffer

This week the sustainability committee got wind of the Rau River Cleanup Drive which took place on the morning of Saturday the 14th of February. This Valentine’s Day event had students showing love of this shared resource that so many rely on not only for drinking, but for many activities. Congratulations to our M1-2 boarding students who had a successful excursion with the one and only Ms. Silvia, learning through valuable actions. Thank you to Sebastian, Lili, Lamine and Eduardo for contributing their morning along with Eric (P6) who was also in action, putting in the work for his PYPx.

The event was hosted by the Tunza Foundation. They are working hard to improve solid waste handling in Kilimanjaro and further afield. This is the start of what is hoped to be many more collaborations, to support their efforts to stop open waste burning and leave communities with cleaner streets, rivers and air. Be on the lookout for future events and get involved!

The group was fortunate to run into Dr. David Zaber, who spoke at the Kilimanjaro Mountain Club earlier this month. David shared his passion for social and environmental health, demonstrating some water testing on the Rau with students from PYP, MYP and DP who were joined by locals. They are so grateful to have run into him and his colleagues and look forward to welcoming him back to UWC East Africa in the near future.

Many kilograms of recyclables were collected separately from many more kilograms of general waste. Here is a sample before and after snapshot.

M1-3 Environmental Service also has a friendly reminder to share regarding waste sorting on campus. As seen in the photo, Isla, Leila and Raphael would like to remind you to separate your waste and read the bins. Exhibit A – Watermelon is not recyclable or made of paper, it is however compostable.  →

Thank you to this service group for their efforts this week.

William Taylor (Sustainability Coordinator)

It has been another busy week of exploration for the Outdoor Pursuits department. Students enjoyed a fantastic weekend adventuring through the Tanzanian landscape, with both our Rides and Plains excursions proving to be a great success. Please read the wonderful first-hand account provided by Freja about her trip to Mkuru. Rides write up – next week!

Looking ahead, our Peaks Adventure trip departs next week, traveling from Ngorongoro to Lake Natron. This is widely considered one of the most spectacular programs in our OP calendar, as students hike through protected conservation areas home to diverse wildlife and the stunning ecosystems of the Rift Valley.

The primary challenge of this expedition lies in consecutive long-distance treks, requiring significant patience and physical endurance. A major highlight will also be the ascent of Tanzania’s third-highest peak, Mount Loolmalasin (3,682m). We wish all participating students a safe and rewarding journey!

Mkuru
Mkuru is a three day, two-night Plains trip located north of Arusha, nestled between the peaks of Meru and Kilimanjaro, covering almost 40 kilometres on foot. This trip was a unique experience, giving me time for reflection whilst strolling through the African savannah, and giving space to make new friendships without the pressure of school. It was my first time doing a Plains trip, and it is safe to say that I walked away (literally haha) radiating from the sunny days and breathtaking views this trip provided.

Our first day began with an OP specialty: the “Lorry Massage” in which we were rattled around for an astounding four hours before arriving at the start point. Upon hopping out of the Lorry I noticed that the only thing in sight was dust, trees, and more dust; hesitant but trusting in the process, we began our 16 km trek down the road. In this area, it is always a surprise which wildlife you may find, but our luck presented us with the exotic sighting of a goat herd, sheep, and birds. We stopped for lunch under a tree’s humble shade and as we discussed our discouragement with minimal animal sightings, something even better appeared… Meru! Although it is often the underestimated little sister to Kili, Meru’s elegant peaks were a sight I will never forget. The mountain was truly breathtaking and for the remaining 8 kilometers it was all I looked at (no offense to the goats). Finally, we made it to camp, took wet wipe showers, and enjoyed each other’s company with a sweet treat and games (only after wrestling with the tents).

Day two began bright and early so that we could beat the heat. We packed up and departed from camp to start a walk through the savannah in hopes of spotting wildlife. Lucky for us, there was a group of ostriches and several antelope gliding through the plains. Continuing through the dust we eventually made it to a water well pump and tried our hand at extracting water but found the locals to be much more efficient. Then we entered the village of Mkuru and visited a hospitable Maasai boma. There we learned how to milk a goat, how to construct boma walls with dung, and most importantly, about the unique culture and practices of Maasai people. Next we passed by a school and met with their director before passing on to the second camp. After a nap in the shade of the Lorry for some, and another match of wrestling tents for others, we kicked back and relaxed for the evening. This was my favorite part of the trip because our location was perfectly situated between Meru and Kilimanjaro which allowed for us to witness the most beautiful sunset over Meru (with moody clouds in the background for contrast) and then the next morning a sunrise over Kilimanjaro, providing us with its looming silhouette.

After watching the sunrise to begin day three, we started on the final leg of our journey which was roughly 10 kilometers through the greener part of the savannah, past hills, and through another village. This portion of the trip really let us see the vastness of our surroundings and take in how far we had come. I enjoyed the morning breeze and luscious greenery as we approached our final destination: an anticlimactic turnoff on the road but satisfying nonetheless as we could rest our legs and finish off the trip with a good Lorry Massage. In closing, Mkuru was a great introduction to Maasai culture, Tanzanian plains, and views I will always remember.

Freja – over and out.