Two weeks into the new year and we seem to be falling back into the school routines. With sports, service and clubs coming back in and the M1 students heading off on the first Outdoor Pursuits trip of the year school feels like it has picked up right where it left off in March.
That said, I do thank those of you that have adapted well to the new parking setup and more importantly the new handwashing routines. Care and vigilance in these cleaning procedures is important to us.
Please note that we are opening back up to parents and community members in many areas. Yoga, cross-fit, swimming and choir to name a few activities you will see more about below. For swimming please check at the pool for the current open hours.
A thank you from me to those that made the “Meet the Teacher” night possible on Thursday as well as to those that came. I would also like to thank all those that have helped in the process of making sure we made it to this point to start the year. The list is too long for the newsletter, but it really has been a team effort.
Bob Cofer, Head of Campus
Upcoming
Following up on the PYP Meet the Teacher night. Parents of M1 students are invited to meet Jeanne Aman Tuesday September 1st at 7:45am to discuss the transition to MYP.
We will be starting the normal Parent Coffee Mornings in September so watch for more details.
Parents of Diploma students should be on the lookout for a Zoom invite. Cassandra Ford will be leading an informational session on the university application process.
And last, but not least, we will be starting the Farmers’ Market up again with the first one scheduled for Friday September 18th.
Ben’s Corner
My new normal is to continually get used to new normals. It is amazing how the last few months have left us all craving normality. Historically, “normal” is tinged with disappointment, it is grey, boring, safe, average. This week, our ongoing return to normality has been nothing short of a relief.
We have enjoyed our first Primary Gathering, albeit without mums and dads present, and it was so lovely to be together again. We have started Primary Clubs. Again, what we are able to offer has been dictated somewhat by external circumstances but it is great to have opportunities to learn and connect outside of the classroom. Sports have kicked off in Secondary and it is amazing to see the pitches and courts awash with activity after school. Student Voice has started afresh in Primary with new representatives voted in across the grades and already actioning many ideas on behalf of the Primary student body.
On Thursday, we welcomed our Primary parents to the annual Meet the Teacher evening. This year was, of course, a little different as we all sat out under the stars but, once more, it was a joy to be able to reconnect and be excited about what is coming rather than focusing on what has already passed.
Our return to normal will continue apace over the coming weeks with Service starting again in the MYP, more Diploma CAS opportunities taking shape, sessions planned for MYP parents and other opportunities opening up to the community. Watch this space.
So, now perhaps it is time to concentrate on getting back to being ourselves, far from normal. As Maya Angelou said, “If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.”
Ben Morley, Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
On Monday in mentor time, our Tanzanian students and some of the longer-term residents taught the other students about Tanzanian Culture. We had videos, presentations, quizzes and games to help students know about how to interact with the community, appropriate ways to dress and some basic Swahili words. We are hoping to continue this initiative as well as having cultural nights to learn about other cultures in the school.
The D1 students have been settling in and a few have made some subject changes. From now changes require more information from all people involved. They were introduced to CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) on Wednesday. Many of them are already involved in Sports and are planning clubs for other students. We provide an opportunity for all students to do service on a Wednesday afternoon and they made their selections for this on Thursday. Next week a group of them will go off on the first OP trip to Fish Eagle Point.
The D2 students continue to work hard. They are planning how to meet deadlines and doing assessments, while still finding time to support the D1 students.
We provide an opportunity for all students to do service on a Wednesday afternoon and they made their selections for this on Thursday. We have groups working with local NGOs (although this will be virtually initially) and others improving the school environment. More details of this to follow.
Margaret Brunt, DP Coordinator
From the Counselor
Do you react or respond in stressful situations? This was one of the salient points from the documentary “Angst” that some staff members watched last week as part of a CIS sponsored screening. Our school community continues to work on providing students with tools to recognize and address the way they either react or respond to stressors in their lives. As adults, we are working on ways to teach and model for students healthy strategies to properly respond to stressors. This is an ongoing process, and involves an ability to self-regulate through greater self-awareness that we all continue to develop while providing our children with proper tools to maintain their mental health and well-being. In this week’s Wellness Wednesday we shared some more information related to this topic that we hope you will take a moment to review. In addition, we continue to welcome community input, and are putting out a Last Call for completion of the Mental Health and well-being survey by all UWCEA Community members. It is due 28 August 2020, and we’re truly grateful for the responses received thus far on this link.
Moving to the university side, D2 students (and parents), have you scheduled a meeting with your University Counselor yet? There are so many options to explore, but also decisions that need to be made in order to set an appropriate plan to ensure you are prepared for the application season. Please make sure you set your appointment(s) and come prepared with questions following research that has been done via Maia Learning and a host of other sources that have been made available.
Parents are welcome to participate in upcoming virtual visits, and to encourage their students to share information about these events that can be found in the “University Visits” section of their Maia Learning account. D1 and D2 students currently have access, but soon M5, and then M4 students, will be provided access to their own accounts. Parents who would like to access their child’s account, can email to receive access and an introduction video.
Please review this list of Upcoming Virtual Visits/Presentations, and stay tuned as this list continues to grow:
Have a wonderful weekend, and we remain available to support mental health and well-being throughout the school year.
UWCEA School Counseling Team
MYP News
Hello MYP families. It has been another great week back at school. This week we presented the service options to the students and allowed them to vote for their choices. On Monday they will know what their service will be. In our mentor time we discussed the importance of setting goals and sent home a sheet for the students to reflect on future goals and how to achieve them. Our M1s are heading out for their first camping trip and were very excited today.
Looking forward I want to invite all M1 parents to a meet and greet coffee on Tuesday morning. This will give us a chance to meet and get acquainted. We will meet in the Duka and have a coffee or tea and I will answer any questions and get to know all of you. I look forward to it.
Have a great week!
Jeanne Aman, MYP Coordinator
Community Choir and Music
Please also note that the Primary School Choir which meets on Tuesdays at 1400 in the Music Room has started. And finally, all instrument lessons are beginning next week and students can find the signup sheets on the notice board outside of the main music classroom. For more information please contact Samuel Wilkinson.
Outdoor Pursuits
UWCEA Outdoor Pursuits News This weekend our first trip heads off with the M1 students taking part in their introductory Camp craft trip to Marangu. They will be learning about setting their campsite up, packing bags correctly, setting hiking bags for long distance, hiking safely and of course enjoying the great outdoors, with maybe a dip in the river when they visit the waterfalls.
Sign-ups for semester 1 are now closed as we have had an unprecedented number of students interested in our expanded program. Information about the trips students have requested and selected to attend will be sent to parents for confirmation.
Residential Life
With almost all of the 160 plus residential students on campus now with at least five more coming next week residential life is picking up. Many of the students are now involved in different activities outside of the class to complement their studies. You will see and hear more about this in coming weeks.
Our new Head of Residential Life, Simon Johnston, is still currently in New Zealand and will be joining us in semester two. In the meantime, if you have questions, the best and quickest solution is to contact the residential parent for that house. The residential parents have done a fantastic job of filling in and working together to cover extra areas to support the students in Simon’s absence.
Sports Update
This week we have most students back on campus with only a handful still to come and there is a buzz around the place. Our new national committee D1 students have already added positively to the energy on campus and are stepping up to get involved in sports and activities, not only participating but coaching and leading events too. The D2s should be immensely proud of themselves, leading by example and taking clubs from PYP chess all the way up to running Bootcamp for parents and students in the community. It is fantastic to see. Below is the after-school sport timetable for Secondary students.
Community Activities
Good news for parents, the school is open again for you take part in activities. There are D1 students offering several great new activities which you can get involved in as well as some old classics. See above for what is on offer.
Tennis with Coach Charles Next week coach Charles will resume his tennis program offering private and/or group lessons Wednesdays at 3:30pm to 4:30pm and Saturdays from 9:30am to 11:30am. Please contact Coach Charles at the courts at the above-mentioned times or call/message on 0710606766.
PYP Saturday Soccer Saturday Soccer is back up and running with Mr T and several of our skilled M5, D1 & D2 students helping to run the club. It kicks off at 9am and finishes at 10.30am just in time for the PYP swim squad to get their laps in.
Go Leopards Robin Marsh
PYP Activities
Student Voice
Primary Student Voice has restarted this quarter. Look out for their first Spirit Day coming up on the 18th of September 2020. Primary kids will be challenging the Secondary to show their school spirit (house points may be involved)!
Student Voice Reps for Semester 1:
EC/P1 – Florence, Bent
P2/3 – Atuganile, Milo
P4 – Greener, Angad
P5 – Nadia, Kaisaar
P6 – Mehar, Levi
PYP News
It was lovely to see so many parents at the PYP Meet the Teacher event on Thursday night. The children were very happy to read all the notes from parents and staff on the Wall of Wishes. If you have not had a chance to add your note, please do. We are looking forward to a successful year ahead. On Friday there will be a primary gathering – P6 will be presenting. We welcomed 2 new students into the primary school this week – Shafiq (P4) and Habib (P5). The photo shows our primary residential students celebrating Shafiq’s birthday.
Mr. Emmanuel, Ms. Clara and I were glad to see you all on Thursday. It was good to share with you the different aspects of the class and how our daily routines look like.
The children completed their work on essential agreements. They are now on our wall with pictures demonstrating each of the four agreements they picked.
Be safe
Be a good friend
Have listening ears
Tidy up
Next week, we will be inquiring into our physical similarities and differences. We will draw ourselves as well as measure different parts of our bodies using non-standard units.
P1s will continue with guided reading. Please remember to send in their levelled readers so we can change them on Monday. ECs will be coming home with their books on Monday. You can use the strategies we gave you on Thursday as you read to them.
The children have been very responsible and well prepared for clubs this week. Please commend them because in such a short time, they have navigated themselves through lunch and after lunch play to their clubs with ease.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
This week in P2/3, the students have been introduced to their new unit of inquiry. They are eager to get started on thinking of healthy habits and routines. The students have thought about the structure of their day, and what things they do everyday. We’ve looked at the importance of washing our hands through an experiment on germs using glitter. Students have also been looking at number, and shape patterns, along with collecting data about what things we all have in common during our day.
Our daily meditation mornings have become an enjoyable experience for all students, with many saying it allows them to find their inner superhero!
Thank you to all parents that made it out on Thursday evening for Meet the Teacher!
Elisha Jaffer
P4 Class
A big thanks to all the parents who were able to make it to the Meet the Teacher night. It has been such a wonderful start to the school year with the students that it was nice to share with moms and dads. We had fun this week with a mixed media art project and with imaging ourselves as superheroes while writing action-packed stories. In the week ahead, we’ll expand our consideration of heroes to look at heroes in literature and myths. In Math, we’ll continue on with place value up to a 5-digit number.
Don’t forget the class will SWIM on Monday, have PE on Wednesday and exchange Library books on Friday.
Talking points with kids: What superpower would you want?
Kacey Buckley
P5 Class
This week we welcomed Habib to our class. We hope he will be very happy with us. We have made a start on our Unit of Inquiry. Our central ideas is,“With rights come responsibilities.” Our lines of inquiry are:
The connections of rules to responsibilities
Analysing the fairness of rules
Rules by which people live
The children have started by looking at their own rights and responsibilities at school and home. They used this information as the basis for creating our class Essential Agreements. Next week we will the expand our research to learn about the UN convention of Human Rights. This will give us the potential for carrying out action to raise awareness of Human Rights and to help those groups in our community whose rights have been infringed. In maths next week we will be looking at place value and graphing. Please remind your child to bring the blue plastic home learning folder, reading book and reading journal to school every day.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
Time is already flying in the P6! Thank you to all the parents who came yesterday. We had a great turn out for the P6, with 92% of you present. This week began with some community service for the school, where we picked up litter around the pitches and playground. We started our unit about government with some role playing, creating questions, and researching in teams of two about the various forms of government. This week also contained a math review that was led by teams of two. They are excelling in their presentation skills.
Next week the class will be presenting how to use the Peace Tray to the rest of the PYP during gathering. They have been creating short skits in class based around three scenarios of conflicts that may arise during the school day. We will record this and put it on SeeSaw for all to witness their amazing acting skills.
