Moshi Campus News – 15 Mar 2026

On Thursday we were treated to a great celebration of the arts. Our Art department and students dazzled us with their talent and hard work. The evening was a combination of the D2 Art Exhibition and the postponed Evening of the Arts. This pairing allowed us to see the final products of two years’ worth of work from our D2 students as well as to see visual arts, design work, drama and music from our M1 to D1 students. There are some pictures at the bottom of the newsletter if you were unable to join us.

We have a few events next week starting Sunday with the cultural evening. The M3 Science fair, secondary conferences and the debate competition round out the week.

For parents, please note that both the secondary and primary conference signup systems are currently open. The secondary signups will close on Monday, and the primary ones will close the following Monday.

Please be aware that Friday is listed as a tentative National Holiday for Eid el Fitr, but we will not know if there is school until it is declared a holiday by the government. I will send out an email either way on Thursday evening to let you know.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

Prepare yourself for an exciting evening full of Italian culture, enjoyable activities, wonderful company, and, of course, a little bit of “la dolce vita”. A night that will bring a little bit of Italy to UWCEA is being planned by our Italian community on campus. Imagine positive energy, Italian rhythms, and most importantly…

PASTA and BRUSCHETTA

Time: 7 PM
Location: Rafiki Hall

We have had another week with significant focus on our Art students, with the opening of the D2 Art Exhibition and the Evening of the Arts, where our music students performed some of their own pieces. Both events were a reminder of how much courage it takes to share ones Art. We saw all of the D2 Art exhibited in K-Hall, from sculptures to paper art to oil paintings and digital prints. Well done to our art students and Ms Claudia; Mr Finn and our music students (we even saw Mr Finn perform this week!) and Ms Jamie for putting the event together.

We are definitely feeling like the end is in sight for the D2 students as most of their IA have been submitted, including their final TOK essays. There are a few subjects still tying up loose ends. Many of our D2 students completed their Language Acquisition orals this week too – well done to the Language students! Mock reports were published this week as well and are available for viewing on Life.

The D1 students are well underway with their Extended Essays and should be meeting their supervisors this week, if they haven’t already done so. They also practiced their English orals this past week, where they needed to explore how two authors have explored an issue of global important. We have looked at issues like power, immigration, gender equity, belonging and discrimination.

We look forward to parent teacher conferences this week. Please remember to share your booking times with your child as we do expect students to be there.

Catherine Dowie – Head of Diploma

Every year students from UWCs submit proposals to the Go Make A Difference Foundation set up by members of the UWC board. This provides seed funding for a project based in student’s home areas. Applications are assessed against specific criteria, which measure personal development, community impact, and alignment with the UWC mission.

Out of the 118 applications grants have been awarded to 25 projects.

We are pleased to announce that 2 of them are from UWCEA Moshi.

Bernard, Elizabeth and Thomas will be working in Mahenge district and aim to to improve school attendance and youth empowerment by training out of school youth in tailoring.

Raziq is working in Afghanistan on a community-based initiative empowering women to transform handicraft skills into sustainable livelihoods and self-determined futures.

We would like to congratulate them and the other students who applied but were not successful.

At the same time our group who are finalists for the Young Aurora award are working hard on their final presentation. The final will be on Thursday 26th March at 4 pm EAT. We will share the link to view the final when we have it.

I’ll keep my intro short this week as there is quite a bit to read below. Please take a moment to go through the updates and reminders, especially the M3 Science Fair section, and be sure to come check it out! As always, thank you for staying engaged with what is happening in the MYP.

M3 – Science (Science Fair)
The past 7 weeks, M3 students have been working on our Science Fair projects, which included creating a research question/topic, researching the topic, and finally designing and carrying out an experiment to answer the question we asked from the beginning to complete this project, we will hold a Science Fair in K-Hall on the 18th of March, and everyone is welcome! We hope you can join us to see and appreciate our hard work throughout these very long weeks and learn a thing or two about the different topics we researched. (Niall M3)

M4 – I&S
M4 students have been studying development and today they considered the price of a banana!

Students took part in the Banana Trade Game, an interactive activity that explores how the global banana industry works and how profits are distributed along the supply chain. By taking on roles such as farmers, exporters, importers and supermarkets, students quickly discovered that those who grow bananas often receive the smallest share of the final price.

Through negotiation and trading rounds, students experienced how power imbalances, market control and international trade systems can affect producers in developing countries. The activity helped them understand why initiatives such as Fairtrade International aim to ensure farmers receive a fairer price for their products and work under better conditions.

The game encouraged students to think critically about global trade, inequality and the impact of consumer choices on producers around the world. It certainly got them talking and debating!

MYP at the Evening of the Arts
Our MYP students were proud to take part in this year’s Evening of the Arts, showcasing their creativity, talent, and dedication across music, theatre, and visual arts. The evening included a wonderful display of student artwork where visitors had the opportunity to explore a range of pieces created by our students. Audiences also enjoyed a variety of MYP Music and Theatre performances, with students confidently taking the stage and sharing their work with the community. The performances highlighted not only their artistic skills but also their courage, collaboration, and commitment throughout the creative process.

A big thank you to our Arts Department for putting together such a vibrant and inspiring evening and for creating opportunities for our students to showcase their talents. And of course, congratulations to all of our students for the wonderful work they shared …your creativity, effort, and enthusiasm truly made the evening special.

M1 – Language and Literature
Just something funny that I simply could not include this week.
I walked past Ms. Vagisha’s class today because I heard loud singing coming from inside and, naturally, I was intrigued. When I walked in, I found the M1s singing, loudly and confidently, a self-created song to help them remember collective nouns… and apparently, they know PLENTY.

Now unfortunately for me, the song has been stuck in my head ever since. I have been walking around singing “a flock of sheep, a school of fish, a herd of elephants…” on repeat.

If you see one of our M1 students, please ask them to perform the song for you. I promise you will be impressed… and you will probably also leave humming it for the rest of the day.

Secondary PTCs – Reminder
A quick reminder that Secondary Parent–Teacher Conferences will take place on March 17th and March 19th. If you have not yet done so, please remember to book your appointments in advance, as time slots tend to fill up quickly. We look forward to welcoming you on campus and connecting with you.

MYP Dates to Remember

• March 17th – Secondary PTCs
• March 18th – M3 Science Fair
• March 19th – Secondary PTCs
• March 20th – Eid Holiday (Tentative)
• 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

Yesterday our primary swimmers traveled to Arusha to compete against other schools in the area and today our secondary students did the same. Please see next week’s newsletter for more details. Next weekend we will be traveling again, this time with some of our basketball teams.

Next week as well I will be meeting with representatives of schools in Arusha to do some planning for sports fixtures for the 2026/27 school year.

Ms Lerato

This coming week is the last week of primary clubs for this quarter. There will be no Saturday football on 21st March and 28th March.  In quarter 4 we will not have as many Diploma students offering clubs for the PYP as it will be exam season. If you would like to offer a club for the primary children on an afternoon of your choice between 2 and 3pm please email me on deborahmills@uwcea.org. Please consider volunteering.

The P4/5 class went on a wonderful Outdoor Pursuits day to the Eekanubi caves and waterfall on Wednesday. Many thanks to Mr. Isaac from the OP department for organising this adventure. The EC/P1 class will be going on their own Outdoor Pursuits adventure to the Rau Forest on Thursday of the coming week. P2/3 and P6 will have their OP experience in Quarter 4.

On Friday, the swim team travelled to Arusha campus. Overall, the team finished in 5th place, which is a good result considering the smaller number of swimmers we had. The students demonstrated strong teamwork, determination, and positive sportsmanship throughout the event. Well done to everyone with a special mention to Ewan and Hugo on their great results. Many thanks to the parents who chaperoned the event.

Eric (P6) is collecting plastic bottles with lids to fill with sand to make weights for the patients in the spinal unit in KCMC. Please donate bottles in the box outside Room 15. Eric will be leading a workshop for PYP children outside the primary classrooms on Wednesday, 18th March from 3:15 – 4:15pm to fill these bottles with sand. Please consider coming along with your child to help out. Thank you to everyone who has donated bottles – we would like more!

Please see Naomi and Benny’s poster about donations for the cats and dogs at Mbwa Wa Afrika. They are collecting food, blankets, bandages and toys as part of their PYP Exhibition. There is a box outside the primary office and they will be accepting donations on the night of the Exhibition.

The parts for the PYP Musical, “Kick it!” are displayed outside Ms. Kacey’s room on the Primary noticeboard. The children need to initial beside their part to indicate they are accepting their assigned role. The performance will be in June. More details will be shared later.

The final week of the quarter (the week after next) will see our PYP Exhibition. This will be on Wednesday, 25th March 5:30 – 8:00pm and is one of the major events in the Primary School Calendar. You are warmly invited to attend the evening presentation.  The primary children will have the opportunity to attend the daytime rehearsal on Monday, 23rd March.

The photo shows Ms. Manal (EC/P1) showing the children how to write their names in Arabic as a follow up activity to one of our Book Week read alouds – “The Arabic Quilt”.

Dates for your diary.

• Wednesday 18th, March Making sand weights for KCMC 3:15 – 4:15pm
• Thursday, 19th March EC/P1 OP trip
• Monday, 23rd March PYPX rehearsal
• Tuesday, 24th March No classes for EC – P5 Student Led Conferences (normal day for P6)
• Wednesday, 25th March PYP Exhibition 5:30 – 8:00pm
• Thursday, 26th March PYP Movie night – more details to follow.
• Friday, 27th March Primary Gathering (Swahili)
• Last day of the quarter. Normal finishing time of 12:30pm

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

We celebrated two birthdays this week. Happy Birthday Alson and Malachi. We wish you a fulfilling year ahead with many wonderful adventures.

We are looking forward to our day trip to Rau Forest this coming Thursday. Thank you to all who filled in the permission slips. If you haven’t done so already, please do so by the end of Monday so that we can complete planning for the day. Remember to keep the front sheet so that you can remember what the children require to bring or wear on the day.

Please join us in welcoming Elijah and his parents to our class on Monday. We are looking forward to having him join in our class adventures.

Mboka Mwasongwe

Despite a number of children not feeling 100%, we had a productive week in P2/3. It was the wrap-up of our wonderful unit on Exploration. We compiled all that we’ve been learning about space into a book and it was fun to see how much information was covered. No primary study of space is worth its salt without some time spent imagining about aliens so Friday we had a great time imaging creatures that might be out in the universe somewhere.

Our next unit is terrific: Endangered Animals.

The central idea is: Species become endangered and extinct for a variety of reasons.

The lines of inquiry are:

• Factors leading to the endangerment of species 
• Actions by humans which affect animal survival
• The responsibilities humans have for the survival of other species

As you can imagine, this unit is also very engaging for students and will culminate with each student doing a report on an animal of his/her choice. So much to look forward to!

Kacey Buckley

Every week in P4/5 is busy but this week felt particularly action packed because we had 2 superb trips off campus. The OP department organised a hike to the Eekanubi caves and waterfall. This was a valuable activity in itself but also provided a great introduction to our upcoming unit on buildings. On Thursday, we  visited Simon Mtuy’s farm in Mweka which was a great learning experience. The children could see firsthand that the farm creates zero waste as everything eventually goes back into the soil and they also witnessed the challenges caused by climate change. Thank you to Simon for sharing his vast knowledge about soil conservation and plant production and for giving up his time to support the children’s learning. Next week we will finish up our writing on our various field trips. In maths we will continue with our work on division.

Deborah Mills

We are currently living in paper chaos — different colours, small pieces, large pieces, glue in hair, glue on toes. Absolute mayhem. The PYPX boards are almost ready, and the classrooms currently look like a collage explosion.

Next week will be all about practice, practice, and more practice as students get ready to present. Students will hopefully bring their T-shirts home on Monday, and the end is very much in sight. Over the weekend, it would be great if students could practise their presentations at home, and we’ll spend next week working on speaking confidently and calmly.

Elisha Jaffer

As mentioned last week, we had two Reefs trips travel to the coast with over 40 students and 14 members of staff – a real expedition! Both groups returned safely and, for the most part, avoided the heavy rains. While we had some very tired students and some very sandy tents, everyone had a fantastic time. As always, the best way to see the impact is to read the student reflections below:

Throughout my time in participating in the Outdoor Pursuits program, reefs have been my favourite trip selection by a long shot, having gone on 6 different reef trips before going to Emayani for the first time, but I must say, out of all of them, I think this trip was the best reef trip I’ve been on. We got to Emayani a bit late, so we had to set up at dusk and didn’t really get a good look at the place, but seeing it for the first time with the sunrise over the horizon and the sounds of ocean waves breaking on the beach in the morning made it feel like I woke up in paradise.

But it wasn’t just the campsite that made the trip ever more enjoyable; it was our amazing, small, but charismatic and energetic group that gave this trip a free seat in my brain for the rest of time. From waking up nice and early to have breakfast on the dive deck, to betting on whose boat would reach Maziwe Island first, to scuba diving in reefs that I’ve only ever seen in documentaries, to jumping out of the boat to swim with dolphins, to playing backyard beach volleyball as if we were in some kind of professional league, and to finally having our nightly game of UNO that we would never finish before we had to go to bed.

This trip was a truly surreal experience that will forever hold a sentimental place in my heart. To anyone who loves swimming, the ocean, or just having an amazing time in general, I would highly recommend considering the Reefs OP selection.

Raymond (D1)

The Fish Eagle Point OP trip took place in Tanga, in a picturesque coastal environment with amazing wildlife. The main goal (besides having a nice time and making new experiences) was to become a bit more familiar with coral reefs and their issues.

Because of the long distance from the school, we had to spend two days of the five travelling. But on the remaining days, we did various and fun activities.

We snorkelled in two different places to explore the reef’s ecosystem. During one of the snorkelling sessions, we also saw corals that were replanted, which are part of the coral restoration project. We also participated in this project a bit by painting buoys and constructing and placing concrete anchors for them.

During low tide, we took a 4 km trip along the coast from where the water receded to explore the exposed bottom. Another time, the high tide allowed us to kayak not only on the open water but in a mangrove forest as well. And on the day before we came back, we did a long swim and had a motorboat ride.

Overall, the time we spent there was a memorable, enjoyable experience that wasn’t just about activities. During the five days, new friendships were created, and older ones were deepened.

Miki (D1)

Thank you first and foremost to everyone who helped make International Day such a success. Events like this remind us what it means to be a caring and visibly engaged community. Waste reduction may seem like a small act, but through many small actions our community continues to make a meaningful difference. Thank you to those who consciously prepared zero waste options for our community, and to those who bring such norms with them.

This morning, students headed to the Karanga River and Shanty Town for the community clean-up. It is important to remember that these efforts are about far more than beautification or simply collecting trash. Across our region, open burning, waste dumping, and contaminated runoff are steadily toxifying the environments that communities depend on. Research conducted in East Africa has found that women living near waste-burning sites can carry elevated levels of toxic chemicals associated with burning plastics and prolonged exposure to unmanaged waste. These realities remind us why this work matters. Clean-ups help remove waste from sensitive ecosystems like the Karanga River, but they also build awareness of the systems that produce waste in the first place. They encourage us to think more carefully about consumption, disposal, and our responsibility to the places we live.

Thank you to The Tunza Foundation for organizing this weekend’s event and bringing community leaders to the table to discuss pollution in Shanty Town.

UWCEA also serves as a community recycling point, and this role continues to grow in importance. By collecting and sorting materials that would otherwise be burned or dumped, we contribute to a broader effort to reduce pollution and support safer waste management practices in Moshi.

Thank you to everyone who continues to show up, contribute their time, and take part in these initiatives. Sustainability is built through consistent collective action, and this community shows it can lead by example.