Moshi Campus News – 26 Apr 2026

This week our D2 students start their IB Exams and the following week the M5 students start their exams. It is the start of that time of year when things on campus become a bit different as activities, outside of PYP, slow down some to accommodate these tests.

Not everything is about tests. This past week we celebrated Earth Day with different activities on campus including an intentional hour without power. You can read more about a few of these events in the sustainability section.

Also, as you can read below, we do have some Outdoor Pursuits trips out currently and a few more still to run. Additionally, there are some sports at all age levels still to run as we head to the home stretch.

Parents, please note that Friday is a national holiday so there are no classes. Please also see the notes in the MYP and PYP sections about specific plans this quarter.

Please click on view entire message at the bottom of the page in order to read the newsletter in full.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

This week was study week for the D2 students and they enjoyed having time off schedule to prepare for their exams. We start exams on Monday with Language A Kiswahili and Self Taught. I know many students found the week helpful in getting organised. D2 reports were also published on Friday afternoon and these can be accessed on Life. Those working towards the full diploma should be achieving 24 points in total, 12 points in their HLs and 9 in their SLs. Additionally a score of 1 in any subject would disqualify the student from achieving the full DP. We hope these reports are informative and help students direct their learning.

The D1 Geography and ESS students returned safely, although very tired, from their field trip in Pangani where they were collecting data for their IAs. The trip was very wet with lots of rain but the students got to meet with local organisations who are working on issues of sustainability. An important part of our school’s values is engaging with the local context which is why we organise trips like this. Thanks to Mr Will, Ms Hilda, Ms Hazel and Mr Patrick who accompanied the students. I think they will all enjoy a quiet weekend.

Many of the students also completed their final English orals this week and we are so proud of their resilience during a stressful assessment. It is one IA (Internal Assessment) done and dusted.

Lastly, the week’s highlight was the M5 to D1 Subject Fair. Our teachers were amazing and organised fun activities to introduce the M5s to DP subjects. Thanks to our passionate and caring teachers.

Catherine Dowie – Head of Diploma

The day after prom, 18th of April, ESS and geography classes went on an educational trip to Pangani, Tanga for two days to learn and conduct research for our internal assessment. We had the chance to talk with multiple groups of people who were the leaders of their Beach Management Units (BMU), which construct the Collaborative Fishery Management Units (CFMA). These groups are overseen by an NGO, the Mwambao project. This NGO works across the Zanzibar-Tanga seascape emphasising community led and co-management, stronger local institutions, knowledge sharing and livelihood benefits linked to sustainable marine resources. As we found out during the trip, Mwambao plays a crucial role in the development of sustainable resource management across the region. During the first day in Pangani we visited a fish farm, where they explained to us their work and position.  Furthermore, we went to a mangrove replantation area where we saw how the BMU replants mangroves areas that had been cut down to produce lumber. Unfortunately, during the second day we could not visit any local communities because the ferry we needed to take to cross the river broke down and we could not go there by a different road due to heavy rains. Luckily, the seaweed farmers and reef restaurateurs could come to us with some samples from their work to educate us on their work and answer our questions.

The opinions of this trip differed from person to person. For example, I had a very pleasant and educational experience, I would even compare this trip to a mini OP trip. We had the chance to go to the beach near our camping site where some swam and also collected trash along the coast. The biggest reason why people have different opinions about the trip is because of the weather conditions. It was very humid and hot, then heavy rains flooded everything, even people’s tents and personal belongings. Through personal challenge, we as UWC students will no doubt grow more resilient through this valuable experience.

Helena (D1)

As part of our service Women’s Health Empowerment (WHE) we are sending the third edition of the magazine “Njia Yetu” to give you information about health topics, highlighting women’s health struggles in different Indigenous societies that most of the time are either ignored or misinterpreted by our medias. Our aim is to share women’s empowerment around the world. You can use the QR Code to access the issue.

Dear UWCEA Community,

Thursday, we had the joy of hosting our Uja Family Appreciation Picnic, a gathering that, in many ways, captures everything we love about the extended family this school is so fortunate to have.

Host families occupy a unique and irreplaceable role in the residential experience. They open their homes on weekends, their refrigerators on Sunday afternoons, their routines to accommodate someone else’s child – and they do it with generosity and warmth that is rarely fully acknowledged. This picnic was our attempt to change that, however briefly.

It was an afternoon full of connection: students reuniting with their host families, stories exchanged over food, children playing in the background, and that particular happiness that comes from being with people who genuinely care about one another. There is no transactional version of what host families give. It is, at its core, an act of love, and we are deeply grateful.

To every host family who joined us, and to those who couldn’t join us, but have hosted students throughout this year: thank you. You are woven into the fabric of these students’ experience in ways they may not fully understand yet, but will carry with them always.

Looking ahead:

• Please join us for the Ukrainian cultural night this Sunday at 7:00 pm in Makutano Lounge.

Best,
Adnan Mackovic – Head of Student Life

The school does feel a little different now that the D2s have officially moved on to study mode, but don’t let the quieter spaces fool you! The energy in M1–M4 is louder than ever! While our M5s are deep in their final stretch of prep (the exam countdown is very real now), everyone else is busy creating, debating, and making the most of every minute. I’ll admit, sometimes keeping up with them and everything happening is impossible, but there is no slowing down yet! Classrooms are still buzzing, and the “huffing and puffing” of hard work is everywhere. It’s been a week of high-stakes planning and sharp arguments. Check out what we’ve been up to below!

M4 Language and Literature English
Our M4s stepped into the world of high-stakes rhetoric this week, analyzing Bryan Stevenson’s powerful TED Talk on injustice. The classroom was transformed into a hub of debate as students deconstructed the use of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos to understand how great speakers move an audience.

Students created digital maps of the speech’s persuasive “ingredients” and engaged in a “respectful disagreement” challenge. Seeing them challenge each other’s perspectives and argue over the emotional vs. logical impact of a speech was a highlight of the week. It’s wonderful to see our M4s developing such sharp analytical minds (even if it means they might become even better at winning arguments at home!).

M5-D1 Subject Fair
The M5 Subject Fair was a resounding success this week! Our students did a fantastic job engaging with the various DP pathways, asking insightful questions, and managing the wealth of information shared by our subject specialists.

While students are encouraged to continue seeking information and reflecting on their choices in the coming weeks, this was a brilliant start to their transition journey. All activities were highly engaging, and the energy was buzzing!

A huge thank you to Mrs. Dowie and the DP team for organizing such an invaluable experience for our students. We look forward to seeing our M5s take these next steps with confidence.

M3 Design
This semester M3 students investigated the world of jewelry design and pewter castings. After weeks of research and multiple prototyping of their designs, the M3’s were ready to make their MDF wooden molds and melt pewter metal. The casting process required us to melt pewter ingots under high heat with a gas-powered blow torch. Then carefully pour the molten metal into the student MDF molds. Once the metal solidified student did final sanding, filing and polishing to remove any “over pour” and brighten the pewter on the pewter. The results were great, 28 students successfully made 100% unique, one-of-a-kind pewter cast jewelry pieces. Congrats MYP 3.

M1 MYP Organization
This week in MYP Organization, M1 students tackled the “Campus Takeover” challenge, a high-stakes, device-free simulation designed to test their Self-Management skills. Students had to organize school logistics, resource matrices, and “chaos-proof” schedules entirely in their notebooks.This task focused on key ATL Skills:

• Organization: Managing time, transitions, and complex physical data.
• Critical Thinking: Developing contingency plans and prioritizing needs.
• Transfer: Applying research-based logic to real-world problem-solving.
• It was a joy to hear the heated debates and the inevitable “huffing and puffing” as they realized that logical planning is a serious workout for the brain.

MYP Dates to Remember

• Thursday April 30th – Last day of M5 classes
• Friday May 1st – Holiday
• Monday May 4th to Friday May 15th – M5 eAssessment and M5 final exams
• May 18th to May 22nd – M5 Work Experience
• Monday May 25th – M4 exams start
• Tuesday May 26th – M5 Ceremony
• Wednesday May 27th – M5 Students Leave
• Wednesday May 27th – Possible holiday
• Monday June 8th to Wednesday June 10th – M1-M4 Week of giving back – No class
• Thursday June 11th – MYP Fun sports day
• Friday June 12th – Last day of school for students

Have a wonderful week,
Farah Fawaz – Head of MYP

One of the significances of MYP physical and health education curriculum is that it fosters the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will contribute to a student’s balanced and healthy lifestyle.

This quarter, the MYP unit centers on personal fitness. Students will acquire knowledge about fundamental training techniques and exercises designed to enhance their physical fitness. The objective is for students to develop a personalized fitness plan tailored to improve their fitness levels, specifically targeting their chosen sport.

• M1 & M2: These students concentrate on bodyweight training, group workouts, continuous training, circuit training, and fitness games.
• M3 Instruction includes bodyweight exercises, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), continuous training, fitness assessments, circuit workouts, and an introduction to weight training.
• M4 & M5: The focus shifts to weight training while implementing the FITT principles of exercise. Each week, students will create a straightforward personal training plan aimed at enhancing their overall fitness.

Lerato Pheko

This weekend’s tennis tournament saw over 30 players entered to play in either student or adult categories. The tournament was sponsored by Ameg Lodge and prizes included dinner at Ameg, a day trip to Tarangeri national park, massages and a month’s access to the Ameg gym and pool. The players’ ages ranged from M1 students to our EC grandparents and it was a wonderful weekend of good sportsmanship and tennis.

Congratulations to Aman and Cata who were our winners in the student categories and Ms Keziah who won the Master’s Ladies singles. The rain held out for the weekend which we were very grateful for and we look forward to hosting another tournament in the coming months – when the D1 students are not on a field trip!

A couple of weeks ago our senior rugby team organised a friendly contact rugby match against local community team, Kilimanjaro. We started out with a 7’s rugby match, the stamina and speed of Kilimanjaro was so intense our team lost 7 – 39. There was a volleyball tournament happening at the same time as the rugby match where we lost a number of our key players. When those players finally arrived at the Rugby match, we ended the 7’s match and shifted to a rugby 10’s match. The final result of the match was completely different, the match ended with a draw 21-21. The true winner was Tanzanian Rugby Development and the bond between our Rugby team and the Moshi Rugby club has been strengthened.

The Sustainability Committee hosted a fun and informative primary gathering on Friday. Thank you to Jan, Lili and Kelli who gave up their time to lead the presentation and take us to see the chickens, the compost and the vegetable patch. After the gathering, the EC/P1 children presented their work on mini beasts in their classroom. It was great to see what confident and articulate learners they are. Please note that there will be no EC/P1 Primary Gathering on 8th May as the children shared their presentations on Friday instead.

Clubs started this week. Thank you to everyone who is supporting the after school programme. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the clubs programme please email me on deborahmills@uwcea.org.

On Friday afternoon, Coach T ran a football training session for our girls’ football team. The Moshi girls were joined by girls from PPA and Kibo Shanty. It was a very enjoyable session and we hope to host similar events in the future.

Our tree planting trip to Kahe Forest on Thursday, 30th April has been postponed.

Parentsl have received an email from me through Life explaining that our trip to the Kahe Forest has been postponed. The Kilimanjaro Project requested that the trip be scheduled during the rainy season because that is the time of year that they plant trees, but on this occasion they have received too much rain and they have informed us that the roads are not suitable for our school vehicles. This is disappointing but we hope to be able to reschedule this trip for the next school year.

P2-P4 parents, please be on the lookout for an email inviting you to sign up your child for the Kangaroo Maths Competition if he/she is interested in participating. We are planning to run this event in the afternoon (during club time) on Thursday, 14th May. Many thanks to Adian in D1 for taking the lead with this. The deadline for signing up is the end of the school day on Wednesday, 29th April.

Please note that there will be no classes on Friday, 1st May as it is a public holiday.

Upcoming Dates

• 1st May – Public Holiday
• May 4th P 2/3 OP trip to Rau Forest.
• 5th May – P4 – 6 trip to Arusha to see PYPX
• 6th May P2/3 Endangered Animal Expo at 7:45am
• 8th May – please note there is no EC/P1 primary gathering
• 14th May – P2 – P4 Kangaroo Maths Competition

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

The children completed their minibeast unit with a wonderful presentation this Friday. They all shared their work with confidence and enthusiasm. Well done EC/P1. Now on to more adventures.

It is time for show and tell. Next week, we will kick off one of the best times of the school year. We all love show and tell time. I have shared a timetable for show and tell with you as not all children can present in one day. We will aim to give everyone a chance to present once a week. Please look out for my email so that you know the focus of the week.

Mboka Mwasongwe

The P 2/3 Endangered Animal Research Center is up and running! The class is loving its first lessons on how to research a non-fiction topic. Everyone has chosen an endangered animal to learn more about and we have begun researching online together. The plan is to make a report and a diorama about each animal. We look forward to sharing them with you at our Endangered Animal Expo on Wednesday the 6th at 7:45! Please plan on coming by to learn more about the animals we’ve studied.

As communicated elsewhere, our class will have our OP-led hike on May 4th in Rau Forest! Permission slips should be returned by Tuesday. This will be a wonderful outing as part of our unit. Fingers crossed for no rain and lots of animal sightings. The photo is a sneak peak of our Rousseau inspired jungle scenes that will be on display at the Expo.

Kacey Buckley

The PYP currently has a trial subscription to the online platforms Times Tables Rock Stars (multiplication and division) and Numbots (addition and subtraction). This week, the P4/5 children have been using TTRS to consolidate their understanding of multiplication and division, and they are really enjoying it—there is quite a bit of rock music involved! We have been taking things slowly with our work on fractions to ensure there is a solid understanding before moving on to the next stage. Next week, we will begin working with equivalent fractions. In our inquiry work, we experimented with building “skyscrapers” using cups and learned the importance of a wide foundation for stability. Each child has now chosen a building to research and will be learning about its design features, materials, and purpose.

Please note that Thursday’s planned field trip to Kahe Forest has been postponed.

Deborah Mills

This week in our Energy unit, we’ve been focusing on what energy actually looks like in everyday life — from fans and torches to cellphones and even a bouncing ball. We then took our learning outside to spot energy in action beyond the classroom, which quickly turned into a lot of “oh wait, that’s energy too.”

In Math, we’ve been working with decimals — tenths, hundredths, thousandths — using doubloons as a context to compare changes in weight before and after 1729. Students have been adding and subtracting decimals, thinking carefully about place value, and applying their understanding of whole numbers to make sense of decimals in a much more precise way.

We also made time to be a little silly (important) with a “close your eyes and draw your friend” activity — results were… honest.

A big thank you to the Sustainability Committee for the Primary Gathering — we’ve all left feeling inspired… and slightly more open to the idea of becoming chickens.

Elisha Jaffer

Parth and Thomas have officially taken their PYPX Action off campus with the Kilimanjaro Project Nursery Club, and this week’s trip to WeruWeru can best be described as… muddy. Very muddy. Valuable lessons were learned — both about seed processing (cleaning, drying, and storing seeds correctly, including which need drying vs freezing) and about the absolute importance of appropriate footwear in those conditions.

Students explored how seeds are sorted and prepared after collection, and next week we’ll be heading out for seed collecting ourselves, which should be just as eventful.

A quick note for parents — rainboots and raincoats are essential for this club. Trust me on this one.

Every year student service teams help start new initiatives to better serve our community. One of those needs identified was First Aid Training as a skill lacking in the region. In Tanzania first aid responders are reserved to only police and medical staff. It is not common practice for ordinary citizens to be first aid trained. Together with the Red Cross, our UWCEA students formulated relationships with neighbouring schools to begin training Moshi citizens in first aid. We are thrilled to add UWCEA First Aid in partnership with the Red Cross Tanzania to our service program. Congratulations to our DP Student Service teams leaders, Faris and Jade. And we wish next year’s leaders, Heloise and Raymond, great success.

Baden Dowie – Service coordinator

It’s been a very busy week for the OP team, and it’s about to get even busier! This weekend, two more trips are heading out into the wilds of Tanzania, proving once again that classrooms are overrated.

On Friday, students headed straight from lessons to Mount Longido, a stunning peak right on the Kenyan border. “Stunning” here is code for a steep, challenging 15 km round-trip hike that doesn’t believe in shortcuts. The trail winds through acacia woodlands and forest, with chances to spot buffalo, antelope, and a variety of birdlife. An early start on Saturday will see the group tackle an impressive 1,400 m of elevation in a single day. At the summit, they’ll face a series of iron ladders, think a Tanzania version of Via-ferrata, because apparently the hike wasn’t quite exciting enough already, before being rewarded with spectacular views across the Tanzanian and Kenyan savannah.

Meanwhile, a brand-new rides trip is rolling out over two days. Day 1 sees students cycling from Moshi Campus to Namalok Nature Reserve, covering close to 40 km. Along the way, they’ll keep an eye out for wildlife and an even closer eye on their increasingly sore legs. After setting up camp, they’ll be treated to a well-earned BBQ catered by TPC.

On Day 2, the group will pack up and continue on to Chemka Hot Springs, where they’ll finish the trip in the only sensible way: by jumping straight into the springs. All that remains is to hope the rains hold off (and that brakes, legs, and enthusiasm last the distance).

While the OP programme is well established across Northern Tanzania, Mr Andy is taking things global. He is currently heading off on an international “trade mission” (his words, not ours) to present at one of the world’s largest outdoor education conferences in Kuala Lumpur. His talk, “Going above and beyond: getting students out of their comfort zone and into the extreme altitude zone!”, draws on our bi-annual Kilimanjaro expeditions and aims to showcase the OP programme on a global stage, connect with other UWC schools, and spark important conversations about how we can make the programme even better.

A full report (and no doubt a few tired legs) to follow next week.
The OP Team

As this ‘Earth Week’ kicked off, so many people wore brown, blue or green on Monday and took part in discussions and dorm activities. These were led by committee members and led to some interesting discussions, prompted by a Quiz with “weird” answers. Thank you to the student body and teachers who made this meaningful. Later that night, two screenings of the film Honeyland were hosted, a beautiful documentary taking place in Macedonia’s mountains that I highly recommend watching, took place on our soon-to-be, bee-enriched campus. Incredibly beautiful, the film made us laugh at some moments and shed a tear the next. It is an honest, intimate film. What I found most touching about Honeyland was how, because of holding quite little wealth and struggling in many ways, the protagonist practices incredible ecological resilience, and teaches us about respect and kindness, with the central lesson being take half, leave half of the honey, to ensure they can take care of us.                                         

Lili (M5)

The sustainability Committee hosted a special UWC wide event on Earth Day (Wednesday). The event was inspiring not only for our students but for those staff members who made it along to Rafiki or logged in from home. The focus on regeneration is one that is not new to our campus, we already take several steps beyond sustainability principles with an aim at improving our ecosystems here and further afield. The panelists spoke of their inspiring journeys, from following Justin Tata’s journey with water in South Sudan to Marcelo Lejune and Alisha Fredriksson’s journeys through innovations in industry, the students saw regeneration in many forms.

We were proud of Melek (D1) whose questions sparked panelist Dylan Kava into an inspiring response, focused on how regeneration may not reclaim what is lost in environmental change, but can lead to something new, something better than leaving ecosystems to such impacts.  

– William Taylor (Sustainability Coordinator)

I would like to thank everybody on campus for the positive spirit in which you recognised Earth Hour yesterday evening.  It was lovely to wander around campus to the ethereal sound of a flute drifting in the breeze.  It was a peaceful moment that provided us all with an opportunity to reflect on our privilege and consider whether we really do need to consume as much energy as we do, along with the impact this has on our beautiful Earth and the people living on it.  It was wonderful to see so many students celebrating this moment by, for example, gazing at stars on the football field…

Earlier, we had a super presentation about Rwanda from Henry and Charity – one of the most powerful we have had this year – which necessarily touched on the peace and reconciliation process following the Rwandan genocide…   I would like to honour them both for their willingness to share their culture and invite difficult questions, as well as the Campus and Culture committee for supporting the event and for their grace in accommodating Earth Hour <3

Thank you all for this sweet evening of Peace and Sustainability on our campus 

– Matt Spall (Sustainability and Peace Champion)