Arusha Campus News – 23 Aug 2026

Our In-service day on Friday was an opportunity for teachers from both campuses to get together and work on our collective professional development. The picture above shows us with our Moshi colleagues and the occasion provided an opportunity to build relationships, collaborate, share thinking and reflect on our teaching practices. Pictured here is one of the ‘Concept Based Classrooms’ groups; a mix of PYP, MYP & DP teachers.

Mon 24th August – Co-Curricular Activites (CCAs) commence

Tue 25th August – Maulid Day NO SCHOOL

Sat 29th – Sun 30th August – Plains Discovery OP to Makuyuni

Sat 29th – Sun 30th August – Peaks Discovery OP to North Pare Mountains

Thur 3rd September – M5 Parent Meeting (time TBC)

Thank you to all of you for allowing us the time to devote the whole of Friday to our teacher in-service day. We really are most appreciative of you keeping your chldren at home for a whole day so soon after the long holidays. I cannot overemphasise the usefulness of having a day with our Moshi colleagues in which we get together to improve our teaching strategies.

We have had a few new families join the school and even more that have expressed an interest in enroling their children at UWC. I often get asked by prospective enrolees what being a UWC means to our younger children. After all, the deliberate student diversity that is generated from the UWC National Committee intake only happens at Diploma level. Its very difficult to describe the day-to-day interactions that take place between our Diploma students and their younger peers. An example is shown in the picture above. A smiling Mariana is seen with some PYP students who have spent the previous half hour learning to do cartwheels. Mariana is from Portugal and I am uncertain whether Portugal is a hotbed of stylish cartwheelers but this is just an example of the sort of the social and learning interactions that take place every day on our campus.

Please note that school will be closed (yet again!) for a day this week. Tuesday 25th August is a public holiday when the nation will be celebrating Maulid Day. The Mawlid is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Have a super week ahead.

Phil

Every year or so, a piece of paper passes over my desk which signifies its time to replace our hard working housekeepers’ uniforms. This year, instead of just ordering more of the same, we had a meeting and agreed to try something different. We summoned a local, talented dress designer and she came to school to work with the housekeepers on designing a fresh new look for their daily work outfits. Styles, colours and measurements were taken and this week the new uniforms arrived! The picture above shows the team in their grey and navy outfit.

The past two weeks have gone by so fast. Our students have settled in the rigorous MYP programme well. Our M1 students and new students seem to have settled in quickly as well. As we head into the third week, I am proud of all the students and their participation in various facets of UWC East Africa life.

This weekend I was delighted to join the MYP Campcrafters for the weekend away in Moshi. Here we are pictured above. The M1s and new students had a taste of what our Outdoors Pursuits programme has in store for them. Seeing the young ones do the plains and bit of peaks on the 9km trek made me appreciate how prepared they are to challenge themselves in not only the OP programme but also, in the IB MYP programme that requires them to stretch beyond their comfort zones. Vital skills were learned, including working with and in teams to put up their tents, helping in preparing meals, washing their own utensils and looking out for each other. I was particularly impressed by their bonding and urging on each other when the going became a little tougher. From the Peaks, Plains, Reefs and Rides sessions they had, I believe they left with invaluable lessons that will shape their time here in our school and especially their participation in OP. I would like to thank the OP team led by Mr Bryan for organizing this and Ms Ann-Joyce and Ms Laura for accompanying our children and taking care of them on this important trip.

This week marks the beginning of CCAs in Secondary. Please ensure your child has signed up to the robust list of CCAs planned for this Quarter. CCAs are a great  avenue for the children to learn new skills, challenge themselves further, and also a way to achieve a balance in their lives as they grow.

I look forward to meeting  with the MYP parents during the Meet the Teachers meeting on Thursday 3rd September at 3:00 pm and the M5 Parents at 4:00pm on the same day for an important information session with regards to Assessments and Transition.

Mr Toney – Head of MYP

This is the revised protocol that has been put forward for day students who wish to visit friends in the bomas.

Day students can send a written request (via email or text) for what day and time and reason they would like to be in the boma. This should be sent to the Residential Parent of that boma 24hrs in advance of the visit.

The Residential Parent will then post a message to announce to the boma residents that they will have a visiting student during specific times. This allows the residents the opportunity to object if they feel uncomfortable.

If there is no objection, the day student is notified and invited to the boma.

Days and times that day students can request to go into the boma:

Monday: 15:00-18:00
Tuesday: 15:00-18:00
Wednesday: 15:00-18:00
Thursday: 15:00-18:00
Friday: 14:00-21:00
Saturday: 10:00-21:00
Sunday: 10:00-18:00

Karibuni!

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