Moshi Campus News – 17 May 2026

On Friday our M5 students finished their assessments as did some of our D2 students. While they are not out the door yet, this does make things more real for them. You can read more in the MYP and DP sections below.

On Friday, the PYP hosted their annual Gathering of Gratitude to say thank you to everyone around campus. Like always they did a wonderful job and presented in English and Kiswahili.

After that, the PTA hosted the AGM for those that were able to attend. Please see the PTA to learn more about the conversations.

As I alluded to in the title, this is a season of change. As we start to say goodbye to some members of our community, this week our incoming D1 students received their notifications of which campus they would attend. This month we will have Zoom calls with new parents and students in D1 and follow those with calls for MYP in June.

Please see below for some of the events this week including the last Market of the school year. The Market will be behind Rafiki near the dining hall this time as we prepare the normal space for graduation on Saturday.

For those parents coming for Graduation we look forward to seeing you soon. Parents, if you are interested in attending the Sundowners Gathering on Friday and have not let us know yet, please RSVP using this form.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

This has been a significant week for our D2 students as they continued their IB examinations, an important milestone in their UWC journey. After completing their second Mathematics paper on Friday, there was a clear sense of relief across campus. Many of our students are now done, however, we still have Chemistry, Global Politics, French and Mathematics HL ahead, and we wish those students continued strength and success.

On Thursday and Friday, our D2 students will take part in graduation rehearsals as we prepare to celebrate the Class of 2026 this Saturday. Graduation at UWC is always more than a ceremony; it is a celebration of growth, achievement, service and the special relationships formed within this community.

The ceremony will be streamed on YouTube. Please look out for us on @UWCEastAfrica.

As we look ahead, many of our D1 students are understandably feeling emotional about saying goodbye to their D2 peers, who have been mentors, friends and leaders within the school. At the same time, the D1s are beginning an important transition of their own as they step into leadership roles and prepare to welcome the incoming D1 class into our community.

The weeks ahead will also be academically demanding for the D1 class, with examinations beginning on 25 May, followed by the Science Collaborative Project, TOK and EE commitments. Reports are scheduled to be published on 12 June.

This time of year captures so much of the UWC experience: challenge, reflection, transition. We are proud of the way our students continue to support one another through it all.

Catherine Dowie – Head of Diploma

Salut à tous!

For almost two years now, the D2 French B class has been working very hard to learn vocabulary and grammar about different topics of the world around us. But at the end of the day, languages are not just about what we do in class but also about how we use them in real life contexts! That is why, as a way of providing us with an opportunity to apply everything we have learned, Ms. Val took us on a day trip to TPC, one of the main French-speaking hotspots in Moshi. There, we engaged in long conversations between classmates, where we made use of our best French skills to discuss our futures or upcoming events that excite us while enjoying some beautifully cooked dishes provided by TPC Club Restaurant. But the cherry on top was to be able to talk to some of TPC’s French speakers, who very kindly agreed to chat with us and help us fix little mistakes here and there so that our French can reach a la-crème-de-la-crème level! Thank you Ms. Val for making learning French exciting every day, thank you to the TPC women for being so supportive with us, and of course thank you to my lovely classmates, who French B would never be the same without. Vous allez tous me manquer.

Bisous, Pedro

Bonjour!

This past Tuesday the D1 French B class took a trip to Remmy’s corner café to work on our conversation skills with Sabrina and June from Mauritius. Although it was just casual conversation over coffee, it was wonderful to connect with the French-speaking community here in Moshi. Along with learning about cultural differences in spoken French, such as the Mauritian creole influence, we got to try out croissants and sandwiches specially prepared by Remmy’s (which I recommend you try as well)! The entire class, especially me, had good laughs, learned new vocabulary, and most importantly, enjoyed the beauty of language learning all together. Special thanks to Ms. Val, Sabrina, and June for coordinating this lovely French outing!

Au revoir, Freja

Demystifying the University Application Process

At UWCEA, we believe the journey to university should be one of self-discovery rather than stress. To support our students in this milestone, we recently hosted our bi-annual University Essay Feedback Workshop, a signature event that brings the global admissions community directly to our campus. This year, the scale of the workshop was remarkable: 150+ D1 students from both Arusha and Moshi participated, meeting one-on-one with representatives from more than 40 universities across the U.S., England, Scotland, Spain, Hong Kong, Rwanda, Switzerland, and Hungary.

During these 30-minute sessions, students received direct, professional feedback on their personal statements, helping them find their authentic voices and gain confidence in their applications. Beyond the practical writing advice, these meetings helped students with the application process, not as a daunting hurdle, but as a human experience supported by a global network of partners. Here is a brief video of some of our students reflecting on what this experience meant to them: https://youtu.be/JCyyxWCYXvo

Liz Elger – University Counselor

The last quarter of the academic year always feels a little like a countdown… the excitement of the end slowly starts creeping in, calendars become busier than ever, and suddenly everyone is talking about “just a few more weeks.” Yet somehow, life in the MYP never really slows down. Between assessments, projects, reflections, rehearsals, experiments, and the everyday chaos that somehow keeps us all going, our students and staff continue to keep the campus in full upbeat mode right until the very end. Safe to say… there is always something happening around here.

M5 – And THAT’S a Wrap!
And just like that… the academic side of the MYP journey is officially complete for our M5 students!

This week marked the end of both the MYP eAssessments and the in-school End of Year assessments, and we could not be prouder of the resilience, focus, humour, and determination our students have shown throughout the past weeks. As we get ready to officially hand the Class of 2028 over to Mrs. Dowie and the DP Programme very soon, next week will focus on reflection, orientation, transition, and community building. Students will take part in sessions centered around residential life feedback, culture-setting, wellbeing, expectations, financial literacy, and shadowing D1 classes as they prepare for the exciting next chapter ahead. There will also be plenty of time for reflection, preparation, rehearsals, and of course… ceremony preparations!

Speaking of ceremonies… the M5 Ceremony is just around the corner! Parents and guardians, please make sure to RSVP using this link and kindly refer to the email sent earlier this week regarding plans, logistics, timings, and expectations for the event. We cannot wait to celebrate this incredible cohort together.

M1 Integrated Sciences
Our M1 Integrated Sciences students are taking learning beyond the classroom and into the community! As part of their unit on living things and local action, students are investigating real environmental and ecological challenges found right here on campus.

Using both scientific inquiry and community engagement, students are researching living organisms, identifying local issues, and designing practical solutions to make a positive impact. Keep an eye out around campus for creative projects including informational signs, awareness posters, feeders, habitat improvements, and much more.

It has been wonderful to see students combining science, action, and care for their environment in such meaningful ways.

M2 Integrated Sciences
This week, our M2 Integrated Sciences students stepped into the world of genetics by attempting to extract DNA from grapes using simple laboratory procedures. Turns out grapes are hiding quite a lot more than just juice!

Students explored how DNA can be separated and observed using everyday materials, while learning about cell structures, inheritance, and the building blocks of life. There were definitely a few moments of “Wait… THAT cloudy stringy stuff is actual DNA?!” mixed with a new level of respect for grapes everywhere.

A fun, slightly messy, and very memorable way to bring genetics to life in the classroom!!

MYP Dates to Remember

• May 18th to May 22nd – M5 Transition
• Monday May 25th to 29th – M4 End of Year Assessments
• 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

Thank you to everyone who attended the Gathering of Gratitude on Friday. We hope you enjoyed the children’s presentations as they thanked everyone on campus who works behind the scenes to make life run so smoothly.

On Thursday, 14th May, nine P2 – P4 children participated in the South African Kangaroo Maths Competition. Congratulations to Eleni, Woohyeon, Alisa, Marina, James, Aarefa, Natalia, Hugo and Tamira for being risk takers as this is the first time we have done the competition at UWCEA. On Wednesday of next week, Adrian and Luke will take part in the second round of the South African Maths Challenge.

We have two classes heading out camping next week. On Wednesday the P6 children will go to Lake Duluti and on Thursday the P2 class will camp at Kishari House.

On Friday, Mr. Baden has organised a Contact Rugby training day on Moshi campus 1:00-4:30pm. Kennedy House, PPA, Kibo Shanty, Bridge and Eden Garden will be sending children for a rough and tumble afternoon designed to develop resilience and to introduce the basics of contact rugby. It should be lots of fun!

Ms Jamie is busy practicing the songs for our musical, “Kick It”, during music lessons. The lyrics and music will be shared with you next week so that the children can practice the songs at home. We are still working out what clothes the children will need for the performance. For the non speaking parts, this is likely to be a school T-shirt and the details of the colours needed will be shared shortly.

Thank you to everyone who has completed the home language survey. If you have not completed this yet, please can you do so by Monday.

The yearbook committee, with some assistance from Mrs. Dowie, has put together the most beautiful yearbook for 2026. The yearbook always looks good but this year the PYP pages look particularly colourful and are a lovely celebration of the past year in the primary school. Each class has a page with a whole class photo, a page of individual photos  and a page of fun photos that have been taken throughout the year. Thanks to the support of sponsors the cost of the yearbook has been kept to 10,000 Tshillings. If you would like to order a copy, please send 10,000 Tshillings in a named envelope to your child’s teacher. The last day for ordering a copy is Friday, 22nd May.

The photo shows the children who attend the Tree Planting Club (Kilimanjaro Project) learning about the ratio of soil, compost and rice husks to create good growing conditions for seeds.

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

Thank you to all parents for helping their children with show and tell this week. We have listened to stories that the children made up or wrote like Alson in the picture. We have watched dances as well as joined some. We laughed at hilarious jokes and some crazy ones stayed with us for a week. Parents please ask your children about the gummy bear joke that we repeated all day. Lastly, we heard some sweet singing. What a lovely week.

Next week, we have decided not to show and tell. We are going to divide ourselves into groups, choose a story we know and explore how to create a little skit for our class audience.

Mboka Mwasongwe

Families, we are so thankful for you! The Gathering of Gratitude gave the Primary the chance to step back and appreciate the community of workers at school. Our class had fun creating our book, The Day the UWC Helpers Quit. It made us more grateful for all that goes into making our school so wonderful.

Looking ahead to next week, the highlight will be the P2 camping trip at Kishari. Please send in permission slips and OP money. If the weather cooperates, the P3 students will join us for a walk on Friday morning.

Kacey Buckley

We had a very interesting visit to the mosque on Wednesday. We saw the prayer hall, the washing area, the minarets and the classroom. The part of the visit the children enjoyed the most was when the imam gave them sweets, a juice bottle and allowed them to play football in the playground! Thank you to Mr. Adnan and Ms. Durriyah for facilitating the visit.

The children have completed posters on a notable building of their choice. These are both informative and entertaining and will be shared with you at a later date. Our Unit of Inquiry on building design is now at an end and we have started a new unit on natural resources.

In maths next week we will revise measurement in metres, centimetres and millimetres and will practice recording measurement using decimal notation (this will link with our previous work on fractions).

Deborah Mills

The P6 students have spent this week fully in their engineering era, building their Energy projects as we begin wrapping up our 5th Unit of Inquiry. We’ve also been completing reading and writing assessments this week, which has kept everyone busy. Students did a fantastic job with their Energy presentations for homework, and I’m looking forward to them sharing these with you at our Student-Led Conferences on 1st June — if they haven’t already presented the full thing to you at home first.

If you’re passing by the classroom, make sure to check out our colourful Piet Mondrian-inspired artwork outside. A big thank you as well to everyone who joined us for the Gathering of Gratitude — it was lovely seeing so many families there.

A reminder that camp is coming up from Wednesday 20th to Thursday 21st May. Please refer back to the email sent two weeks ago for important information and packing details. Also, please add P6 Ceremony on 4th June to your calendars already — somehow we are almost at the end!

Elisha Jaffer

Last week saw the successful completion of both the Maramboi and Usambara trips. The Maramboi expedition gave students an incredible close-up encounter with wildlife, alongside a crash course in animal foot print identification! Keep an eye out for student reflections coming soon.

With these trips completed, the OP team now turns its attention to Mount Kilimanjaro, our final expedition of the year. While Kilimanjaro is certainly the most physically demanding trip, it also claims the title of “most complicated to organise” – a challenge only slightly smaller than the mountain itself.

This Saturday, both campuses will come together to prepare students for the upcoming Mount Kilimanjaro climb (6–11 June). The day will focus on practical mountain skills, safety awareness, and health considerations, while also building teamwork and group connections between students and staff. As part of the preparation, students will take part in a 12km training hike into the Moshi coffee fields.

Two weeks ago, Dimi climbed Longido. Please enjoy reading his reflection below!

The Longido OP trip may only be a day hike, but it is packed with nature, unforgettable views, and memories you will carry for years. There were two groups: one fast-paced group that started early, and a second group that left later and moved at a slower pace.
Our 3-day trip began in Moshi, with a quick stop in Arusha for supplies and to pick up classmates. We arrived at Longido camp on Friday evening, set up our tents, helped prepare dinner, and went to bed early before the hike the next morning.

The hike itself is steep and challenging, so you need to watch your footing carefully. Along the trail, we passed huge Aloe Vera plants and stopped at a viewpoint called the “Airport,” where the scenery was incredible. Near the summit, the trees opened up to reveal views across both Tanzania and Kenya. Reaching the summit felt amazing. After climbing a metal ladder, the reward was a breathtaking panoramic view where you could even see Namanga and its surrounding mountains.

One of the highlights was Africa Rock, where the outline of the African continent is naturally formed in stone. The hike took around 5–6 hours up and 3–4 hours down, with breaks for food, views, and interesting historical stories. On the descent, rain started pouring, but our group stayed strong and pushed through together.
Overall, Longido is an unforgettable experience and a perfect way to explore Tanzania, challenge yourself, and spend quality time with friends.

This week, the KCMC Service team delivered over one hundred weights created in conjunction with the PYPs to patients in the spinal cord recovery unit at KCMC. Over the past few months, service members and PYP teachers and students have worked together to collect plastic bottles, fill them with sand, wash, dry and label the bottles for patient use in physiotherapy recovery sessions.

Today marked the culmination of the project as we delivered the weights to the staff and patients in the ward and witnessed firsthand the joy and gratitude our service work inspired. Thank you so much to the PYP staff and students for supporting our service efforts, and as the school year winds to a close, we would like to thank all of the hospital staff, community members, teachers and students who have helped us and engaged with our projects throughout the year.

Cara
KCMC Service

Sustainability Committee 🌱
Swap Shop

On Wednesday, May 20th, from 15:30–18:00, M1–M3 Service and the Sustainability Committee will host a Swap Shop on the Green outside K-Hall. This is a great chance for departing D2s, and anyone clearing out their rooms, to give clothes, decorations, and school supplies a new home.

The first two items will be free, with additional items costing 1–5k. All proceeds will support the purchase of school supplies for local children. Donations can be placed in the baskets in each dorm or dropped off outside Room 6.

The Swap Shop will continue from Thursday to Friday in Room 6, so please drop by if you miss Wednesday.

Let’s sustainably reuse resources and celebrate the style and generosity of our community!

See you on Wednesday at the Green!

Cara (D1)

Dorm Recycling ♻️
Each dorm has two recycling bins: green for paper and blue for hard plastic, alongside general waste and compost bins. Recently, many recycling bins have been contaminated with food waste and soft plastics, which cannot be recycled and make sorting more difficult for community staff.

Please read the labels on each bin and dispose of waste responsibly to help keep our recycling system working and our campus cleaner.

Glass and metal can recycling stations are also available at the main gate, so please drop these items off when you pass by.
Thank you all!

Cara (D1)

Sustainability Coordinator
With another week behind us, I would like to thank the M4 and M5 Environmental Service students for caring for our campus compost and recycling systems and congratulate them on their gardening efforts. As seen below, they are now growing beyond the bounds of the Community Garden, helping make our campus more productive and abundant with healthy foods. DP Environmental Service has also been hard at work, and all are welcome to build on their efforts.

With heavy hearts, we are also preparing for the departure of the D2 and M5 Classes of 2026. Over their time with us, the D2s have transformed shared spaces, faced major challenges such as the 2025 TaSCC Climate Summit, and helped rethink how we consume on campus. Their influence will remain something we cherish and continue to build upon.

Class of 2026, as you face the door, remember to be conscious of your impact, sort and minimize waste, upcycle where you can, and champion sustainability beyond UWCEA.

Finish strong and enjoy your last week with us!
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Best Fishes, ><>
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William Taylor (DP Teacher and Sustainability Coordinator)