Arusha Campus News – 8 May 2021

The last rays of sunshine are extinguished as our latest OP trip beds down for the night.

This picture and the one above was taken by Anh (D1, Moshi) as she and her companions walked through the acacia woodland near Maramboi last weekend.

A week of undenialble pressure for many members of our community – Diploma exams, MAP testing for the Primary School, not to mention the heavy marking schedules that our teachers are experiencing at this time. In the middle of that, families are preparing to leave the country, some students will leave the School for good and Graduation arrangements are being made. This all adds up to the potential for tiredness and frustration.

My advice at this time of year is to take a step back, admire the fabulous environment we work in and make a commitment to ‘assume every member of our community is trying to do their best’! 

Its been quite a year and we are almost there…

Have a super weekend.

Phil

Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting some sections from our school policies that need a renewed commitment from some in our community. This information comes from our Primary or Secondary Handbooks or from other policies and procedures of the school.

Mobile Phone and Headphone Use on Campus

Mobile phones must be switched off or on ‘silent’ during tuition times. This includes in-between lessons or on the way to a lesson, as well as during morning and lunch breaks. Residential students who need to connect with family during school hours due to time differences should do so away from public areas, returning to the Boma where possible.

Day Parents/Guardians who wish to contact their students during the school day should do so via the school’s office.

On occasion, students may be given permission by a teacher to use their device as a tool for learning, however, students who use electronic devices or headphones without a teacher’s permission may have them confiscated and handed to the Deputy Head of Campus. These electronic devices should not be worn during activities.

Students should not walk around the school ‘plugged in’, this is anti-social behaviour and a health and safety risk. We want all of our students engaged with the people and events around them.

Illustration (above right) by Subrata Dhar. Taken from The Indian Express newspaper

Thank you for your continued support in making campus a healthy and safe environment for all.

Ms. Christy

P4/5 have been privileged to be visited by students from Plaster House for the last two weeks (picture below). We have learned so much about accepting others for who they are rather than what you see. The students planned engaging and fun activities to do together with the students.

The P4/5 class also had an art competition to design a picture that could be turned into a stained glass piece to display in thePlaster House new laundry (picture bottom). Philo’s piece was chosen representing the Tanzanian flag within his design. Sarah had a hard time choosing a piece so laminated many of them to display at Plaster House. Well done everyone.

The PYP encourages students to develop a range of attitudes. We actively encourage the development of these during our learning.experiences. There are many stories that support these attitudes that can be found on this website.

https://danielakorman.globalblogs.org/resources/books/pyp-attitudes-books/

Amanda

P4/5 with their Plaster House visitors this week.

P4/5 show off their Plaster House Art projects

M5 students are entering a busy time of the year with many important events taking place. On-screen examinations, which are a two-hour computer exam in Individuals and Societies, Mathematics, English, Sciences, and Interdisciplinary learning, will be on May 11th-21st. I wish all our hardworking students the best of luck.

Hamid

At 10pm Wednesday night last week a container truck arrived on Arusha Campus laden with exam desks. Delivered just in time for the next day’s exams!

Also in the container were our new sports team kits and these were modelled this week by M4.

Special thanks to the PTA for helping us get over the line and being able to afford these splendid outfits.

Armandine and Luanga presented and led special games on the primary field: Course Du Congo (Race of Congo). Boarders enjoyed some Congolese food after the presentation.

Rawan Dakik, our former student, is on course to summit Mt Everest at the moment and the expedition is being covered widely in the national newspapers https://dailynews.co.tz/news/2021-05-046091168cdd646.aspx

Best of luck Rawan, we are all rooting for you as you prepare for the final summit attempt!

It was wonderful to be back in the water and be able to see all three sections of the school come together for our House Swim Meet last Friday.

After such a wretched year for sport, the students, staff and parents alike were excited and there was a fever pitch mood being drummed up by the MC on the Day, D1 Ravi who oozed with his usual charm and wit.

As the sun came out, it was in the water where the action was taking place. There were old rivalries as Magnus and Ian battled against each other, and new names announced themselves on the scene with some seriously impressive performances, Kaisha, Francis and Ingraham swimming up ages with great success. But as with House events, it’s about the participation and just getting points for your team, and the results heavily backed this statement. With Kibo clearly winning more points per person, it came down to the fact that Mawenzi had more people swim, the likes of Tembo and Hunter, and those people collected the points that took them to victory.

A huge thank you to all staff who helped, and especially Carolynn Fischer for her support. The meet was organised by diploma students Ian and Michelle, and huge congratulations to them for all their efforts.

Final standings:

1st: Mawenzi
2nd: Meru
3rd: Kibo

Lennox and Fabrice initiated a  project that  aims  to  control  the cat population in  our  community.
         The cats population is increasingly doubling in our community, making it quite hard to prevent any inconvenience. They are all wild and some of them are even killed  which is unfortunate.
          We  intend to  catch all  of  these  cats and  take  them to  Mbwa  Africa for  Neutering  before releasing them   back to  their habitat. This  is  because we care about them and our community needs  a  controlled  number of cats to help  with  the  rat  infestation in our Bomas.  
          For the good conduct of this project, we intend to collect funds to meet the cost of medical care at Mbwa Africa. Any contribution is welcome, thank you in advance.

Mental Health Month continues, and one of the biggest obstacles for receiving appropriate care for mental illness is the prevalence of myths about mental health. In our effort to build awareness this month, we encourage you to do some mental health fact checking to better understand why awareness is so critical. Here is a link to a recent blog about why building awareness and understanding the facts is so critical. https://www.mhag.org/2020/10/05/why-we-need-mental-illness-awareness/
 

Increasing awareness starts with education, and we want to present an opportunity to learn from an expert in the field of journalism and mental health. Please consider joining the Resilience and Recovery from Trauma webinar on Tuesday,  11 May. Trauma has been experienced by so many people in varying ways during the global pandemic, and seeking ways to deal with the trauma and work through it are essential to addressing any mental health concerns that may stem from the impact of COVID-19 on many aspects of our lives.

Next week is Mental Health Week in the UK, and they are focusing on a theme that is perfect for us in northern Tanzania. They are delving into the many benefits of nature, and how it can relieve some of the mental health challenges that can affect our lives. Please take some time to enjoy nature in your environment and the positive influence that it can have on your overall well being. 

Switching hats to the college advising side of the role, we are truly grateful to the parents who were able to attend the D1 parent College Admission Preparation presentation on 5 May. Although we covered a lot of information (quickly), we hope you found the information useful and continue the conversations with your child about preparation for their future. If you were not able to attend and/or would like to view the presentation as a Google Slideshow with the notes available in the bottom of most slides, feel free to access via this link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NdWBDJt-dOARyeE52n16EDOS2dxGLysfo-TNOCq1se8/edit?usp=sharing
 

As we discussed in the presentation, there is a plethora of information available from institutions around the world as they are moving into their recruitment season for the next application cycle. We are constantly adding new recordings and events to our Upcoming Visits List, and strongly encourage you to take a look to access valuable information for the post-secondary planning process.

In this month of being mindful, and finding more meaning, we welcome you to see a new monthly focus calendar full of ideas and other resources we have compiled in the COVID-19 Counselor Resources. Our team understands and seeks to support the mental health needs of our school community, and appreciate any resources that you are willing to share with us.

Take care and persevere,

UWCEA School Counseling Team

It is the season for getting stuck in Tanazania. Pictured above are the school buses getting stuck at Makumira for this week’s Inter Disciplinary Unit.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, we managed to get both Land Cruiser’s stuck near Lake Manyara. Here, below, the matter was made all the worse when a swarm of bees decided to congregate on the roof rack! (look carefully at the rear righthand end of the roof rack)

Save the date to join us for a Party With A Purpose and raise funds for our fabulous NICU facility at ALMC. This year, our fundraiser has  prizes from the following top sponsors:

Legandary safaris

Nyumba Ndoto

Nyumbani Collection Serengeti
Central Serengeti & Miracle Balloon Safari
Melia arusha
Tarangeri Safari Lodge
Nomad (Kuru)
Ngara Sero Lodge Arusha
Jafferji House zanzibar
Home Comfort
Kisasa designs
Safari Bronze
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Shutter box
shibam lighting
Aiyaana Pemba
LEEN
Desserts For A Cause
Emayani lodge pangani
Schwari
Jamie Strand Massages

Dunia Designs

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who donated books for the “books to succeed” project. The world will be in better condition if we always come together as one. I have received a lot of books which need to be transported to Juba, South Sudan. Therefore, I am creating a fundraising campaign to raise money for transporting the books. In addition, you can still donate books and anything that can lead to the success of the library.
There is no limit on how much one can donate, just as there is no limit in reading a book. South Sudan needs me!
South Sudan needs you!
Together we can

Jube, D2

Please click on any date below to be taken to the website calendar