Arusha Campus News – 9 Feb 2020

The news in this week’s newsletter is dominated by stories from the 100th Day of School.

In those 100 days the M5 students have been working hard to complete their Personal Projects. The personal project is a culminating Middle Years Programme (MYP) project to develop the student’s personal interest and to show and apply the skills, which are developed through the MYP’s Approaches to Learning. This project is based on the student’s interests and talents, resulting in a product or outcome. I have had the privilege of working with Chloe for her project on Giraffes and their steady but real slide toward endangered status. The picture above shows Chloe speaking before the Rotary East African Project Fair last week. She will be speaking agin as she presents her documentary ‘Giraffes – A Silent Extinction’ at Cultural Heritage on Wednesday evening at 7pm. Everyone is welcome.

Our sustainability drive continues and this week we introduced a competitoon to see which sectiuon of the school (PYP, MYP, DP or Staff) created the most food waste after each meal time. Honours are very even at the moment but we will keep you posted next week!

Apologies for the late newsletter this week!

Phil

First week of February was filled with learning and activities both in the primary and secondary. P6 students in their final year of PYP had a great opportunity to work with their visiting counterparts from Moshi on developing their ideas and start preparations for their PYP exhibition. These were two days filled with fun activities and learning connected to the exhibition process; and an exciting camping in our classrooms experience for the visiting students.

We hosted on Thursday a Canadian delegation of universities for a fair that was also attended by other schools in Arusha (pictured here). D2 students and parents have received their semester 1 reports this week- these include detailed information about the recent mock examinations and serve as additional motivation for our graduating class to continue to strive for improvement.

And of course the experiential learning does not halt over the weekend for some students, with a group departing for OP Level 1 Monduli Flatland Trip and another embarking on their Duke of Edinburgh practice journey. Have  a wonderful weekend ahead,

Ciprian

The P6 Exhibition Retreat on Monday and Tuesday has enlightened our students ready to start exhibition. They discussed many aspects of the process including; exploring the transdisciplinary theme which this year will be ‘Who We Are’ –  An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.

The Dance Challenge students (above) performed with spirit at SCIS on Friday night and although they did not win they received a special mention from their costumes, props and well thought out dance. Well done Kavish, Samuel, Brilliant, Ella, Carice and Juliana. You have made us proud.

Why Dance is Important?
Dance is a way of moving that uses the body as an instrument of expression and communication. Through dance, students learn teamwork, focus, and improvisational skills. Dance awakens new perceptions in children which help them learn and think in new ways.

Children need to express and communicate their ideas and to be given the opportunity to make creative decisions. This decision making promotes self-esteem and independent thinking for children. Learning the movement of others helps expand the child’s movement vocabulary while creating one’s own movement will put the child in a teaching role and give her the chance for her voice to be heard. Giving the students the freedom of making choices within a structure encourages them to reach beyond what comes easy to them and use their imagination, thus allowing them to test their own personal boundaries.

Dance also enables students to better understand themselves and the world in which they live. Through the arts, teachers can often teach children to recognize the contribution of all cultures to the fabric of our society and increase the understanding of diversity and values of all people. Dance lends itself well to this task through learning traditional dances and creating new ones based on children’s ideas. Dance also enhances skills of perception, observation, and concentration which will undoubtedly help students in all of their school subjects.

Adapted from https://www.camarilloacademy.com/2011/09/why-dance/

Amanda

Thanks to Paramedic Mike and Pharmacist Jackie (above) for coming to talk to P5 about body systems. We learned how the brain, lungs and heart are vitally connected. We also learned about the importance of protecting our skin by not picking scabs and drinking enough water. Thanks to Jack Rejman from Arusha Medivac for organising everything.

Sehra shows a blinding turn of speed to evade her Orkeeswa marker

Wednesday afternoon saw the U15 Girls take the field in purple and black against Orkeeswa’s U15, with some of them fresh off winning the NTAA Netball Championship almost ten days earlier. With this match being played at home, a decent amount of spectators consisting of parents, staff and students lined up on one side of the field. The Rhinos were coached by the experienced Mr Swanson and Ms. Emily.

Hana handled the goalmouth and linked with the defensive backline, which consisted of the tough-tackling Brenda, Natalie and Sehra. Involved in the midfield were Sally, Gaby, Jessica and Siri, with Indya and Amani striding the front line. Orkeeswa’s classic endurance and strength was evident, but the Rhinos endeared much more, and came off at the half tied at a fair 0-0.

A break-through came ten minutes from time when Jessica slotted a ball to Indya who finished nicely into the back of the net, with large cheers of jubilation coming from the home crowd. From then on, more players adjusted backwards, with Siri making box to box runs. Sehra stopped a last minute counter attack with a thumping tackle, after which the referee blew his whistle for full time.
It was a statement win for the home side, who hope to lift the NTAA trophy in Mid-March.

Sensational goalkeeper Hana enjoys a lighter moment between the sticks!

Last weekend a group of students (some familiar faces pictured above!), staff and parents joined the Kilimanjaro Trails Festival and took part in the following events: 80 km, 30 km and 15 km mountain-bike races, half-marathon trail running, 15 km, 5 km run and 1 mile Rafiki Fun Run. It was a fantastic event with a festival experience rather than competitive atmosphere. Camping was at Simba Farm and races took place by the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro and through the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area.

Highlights were the dramatic views of Shira ‘Cathedral’ swathed by fleeting clouds during the half-marathon as well as coming across giraffes, zebras and wildebeests during the 80 km mountain-bike race.

All manner of wildlife was encountered on the bike ride!

Black History Month is a month dedicated to the achievements, and actions of African Americans that were not recognized due to the whitewashing of our history. It is the remembrance of the black man’s struggle and perseverance, during a period when the color of one’s skin dictated the importance of a person in society. We celebrate black history month not only to reflect on how far we’ve come, but it is also to pave the way for where we’re going; a future in which history does not only portray the subjugation of the black man to the cruel systems that were slavery, colonialism, and racism. Instead, it is to shine a light on the misconceptions that purposely ignore the involvement of black people in various pivotal moments in history that only the white man was credited for. 

Join us, as we commemorate Black History Month!
#blackexcellence #BlackHistoryMonth

Our very own students took part this time; D1s, Michelle and Katanu, and Rida from M5. Rida (pictured above) sold such lovely Lebanese delicacies for his personal project and the two ladies selling authentic printed cards. Captured by Ian Salaka, D1.

Anyone who’s interested, please let me know either via email http://davidratsakatika@uwcea.org or in person. Also, for those who would like tennis coaching, Arusha Campus has access to the best tennis coach in Arusha in Lembris. He’ll be on the tennis courts with his coaching team every Tuesday from 4:30pm-5:30pm. All UWCEA-Arusha parents and teachers are welcome to attend coaching sessions, all abilities welcome. Lembris charges a 10,000TSH pay as you play service so karibuni.