Arusha Campus News – 19 May 2024

The Class of 2024 on Graduation Day on Saturday

Fri 31st May – M5 Ceremony

Sat 1st June – Interact Car Boot Sale

Wed 12th June – 1.30pm PYP Play

Eun (M3) gets to grips with some rather sticky dough in his design class this week!

Dear Parents,

Apologies for the lack of newsletter last week. You may have read that Southern Africa was struck by a blanket internet outtage which put paid to any newsletter!

We have finished both our Diploma exams and our MYP On-screen examinations and so there is light at the end of the tunnel for the students involved. Of course, by the end of May both cohorts will have left the school and our campus will take on a very different feel. Our Diploma students graduated on Friday and the M5’s are now flung far and wide on their work experience week. In the old days we used to talk about the ‘M5 Graduation’ but we now call it the ‘M5 Celebration’ as we think there is more cause to celebrate the end of the students’ MYP journey and their entry into the DP programme.

Exams are stressful and this time of year is anxiety-inducing for students as well as for even the most experienced of teachers. We are on the lookout for signs of damage to the well-being of all members of the community and in ‘Kindness Week’, I would urge all of us to lend a sympathetic ear to those who are finding things tough at the moment. Remember our first value, which is that we live and learn together in a safe, collaborative and caring community, so let’s show those around us how caring we can be,

The Diploma Graduation was a fabulous event which celebrated the  astonishing work put in by our D2 students and teachers. The same celebration took place on Moshi Campus and the image below shows the Moshi graduates on parade befoire their ceremony on Saturday morning. Congratulations to them and to Bob and his team in Moshi for another year of accomplishment.

For the rest of us, plenty of work to get through in the next four weeks!

Phil

The Moshi Class of 2024 Graduation Ceremony

On the eve of the Arusha Garduation ceremony, a group of ‘graduating’ parents met for a soiree and to get to meet one another (see image above). A terrific evening of fun will now become an annual tradition!

Rob Airdrie and his family are very much looking forward to coming to Arusha from Hanoi. Salome will be teaching PE in Kennedy House and Linh and Charlie will be joining UWC. We are all very enthusiastic about exploring nature, and Linh also unicorns and rainbows while Charlie is our resident trucks expert.

The highlight of the PYP took place last week with the PYP Exhibition – it was fantastic!

Congratulations to our P6’s and Mr Jonny on a fantastic Exhibition.
I love Exhibition! The Exhibition is a culminating project that represents a significant learning experience for students in the final year of the PYP. See images above and below. Every year I am so proud of the way our students put together a whole unit of inquiry and the amount of learning which has gone on. The range of interests was inspiring to the audience from conservation, arts and transportation. Each student followed an individual inquiry

Lulu – Glass Art
Hanna-Salma – Painting
Ava – Theatre
Roan and Pierre – Planes
Erik and Liam – Cars
Anisa – Marine Biology
Belia- paleontology and extinct animals
Ingraham – Conservation

Well done P6 and to all the teachers, mentors and Mr Jonny who supported the Exhibition process as we all recognise that it is a rewarding but exhausting experience!

Amanda, PYP Co-ordinator

Our Primary Netballers (pictured above) had an epic day at the NTSAA tournament yesterday at Kennedy House. Our Under 9 team won their tournament outright whilst the Under 11 team ended the day in a commendable second place. 

Thanks to Miss Adele and Miss Caroline for coaching our young talent!

And the van der Goots, Roan (left) and Sam (right),  pictured below, both won players of the tournament in their respective age groups!

Men in black – the M4 boys hard at work

Congratulations to the M5 students for completing their IB MYP on-screen exams! The on-screen exams are technologically innovative and distinctively MYP as students use the authentic assessment approach to demonstrate conceptual understanding and the ability to apply knowledge in complex, unfamiliar contexts, including the use of global contexts. Many M5 students have D2 siblings and on Friday, they finished their Interdisciplinary exam just in time to join the graduation ceremony for the class of 2024. Next week the M5 students will head off in different directions for their work experience week. If you are interested in hearing more about their work places and experiences, please join us on the morning of Tuesday 28 May for their work experience presentations.

On Wednesday, the P6 students came for a Taster Day and got to experience M1 for a day, try some of the MYP subjects and explore the secondary side of our campus. It sounds like they enjoyed their day and we look forward to them starting in M1 in August!

M3 parents and guardians are encouraged to attend a meeting on Tuesday 21 May at 8am about subject choices for M4-5 and Beyond M5 options. Subject teachers, our DP Coordinator and College & Career Counsellor will be there to share important information and answer any questions. I hope to see all M3 students and families! 

Anoek, MYP Co-ordinator

With exams behind them, the M5 students are excited to take on a new learning experience – Work Experience Week!

This week, the M5 students will participate in Work Experience Week. For the first time, our students have secured placements across the country, extending beyond Arusha to Moshi, Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar. This opportunity has opened doors to diverse professional fields, including environmentalism, healthcare (both treatment and research), legal, finance, creative arts, and tourism.

Throughout the week, our students will gain firsthand experience of the daily tasks, skills, and qualifications needed for their chosen careers. They will also have the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable insights into the professional world.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to ensure their safety and well-being throughout the week while emphasising punctuality and professionalism. This will help students make the most of their work experience and form meaningful connections in the professional world.

We wish all M5 students the best.

Ms. Delphine, Life Skills

Zarine (M3) proudly displays her culinary creation

Its been a busy and productive couple of months in Design for MYP 1-3!

M1’s and 2’s have been working on a really challenging project which involved making a paper rollercoaster which could carry a marble! They persevered even when faced with collapsed rollercoasters and having to start again. They used their problem solving and creative skills to all finally showcase their hard work with pretty much every rollercoaster able to transport a marble. I am super proud of their tenacity through out this project and its clear that we all learned a lot!

M3’s have been showcasing their culinary skills and interest by completing a food unit. They were tasked with creating their own pop up restaurant/cafe and to then try out their cooking skills by making some Korean style chicken wings and some decorated waffles! There was a lot of laughter and huge smiles especially when they got to eat their waffles! Beautiful chaos!

The photos below only show you a snippet of the amazing work completed so make sure to ask your child to share with you what they did!

Miss Leah, MYP Design

Pursue Your Passions versus Talents???

Last Friday, I watched a panel discuss some of the challenges that young people are facing today, and when I heard the phrase, “Pursue your talents” it resonated with me. Scott Galloway a clinical professor of marketing at New York University Stern School of Business and author of the recently published book “The Algebra of Wealth: The Simple Formula for Success,” was sharing his thoughts on why many young people get caught in the trap of pursuing their passion, when they would experience more success in life by honing and developing their talents that will lead to a more fulfilling life. This message was reinforced when I was reading about a young woman who went to a university in the hopes of becoming a doctor because that was what she had dreamed about all her life. However, once she discovered that working around blood was not appealing to her, she began to explore her communication and technology skills in a manner that led to creating a brand new department at her institution focused on entrepreneurship and funding start ups.

Thinking back on the mesmerizing speech earlier this year by Dr. Jane Goodall about her journey to becoming the amazing anthropologist and primatologist she is known for today, I can not even begin to imagine what would have happened if her mother had not been so supportive of her curiosity and interest in learning about animals at a young age. Did she pursue her passions or develop her talents in a key area that led to a lifelong career?

On the other hand, over the years, I have heard too many students tell me that they were only pursuing a career because that is what their parents told them to do, or because it is the only way they will have a “good career.” If the young person has developed the skills for that profession, and has an interest in continuing their education in that field, more power to them. However, what about the young people who do not have the talent or desire for a field they feel pressured to pursue?

When I witnessed the joy and enthusiasm that Hunter and Vivek expressed during the D2 Post-Secondary Fair before the mid-semester break last month, and each time I talked with them about their professional pursuits, I found myself getting caught up in the excitement they each exude about their chosen path. I have also observed the time that they have put into developing their skills in their chosen careers, and the research they have done to know that their talents will be best utilized in these fields. Most importantly, their parents have been in their corner and encouraging them to enhance their skill set as they glean a clear picture of what is required to achieve success in their desired career. Sometimes passions and talents collide, and a young person is launched into the professional world prepared to thrive.

D1 Parent/Guardian Presentation Post-Secondary Planning Part II

Speaking of parents, we are ready for the second part of our presentation about ways parents and guardians can help prepare their child for global destinations. In this session, we will focus on some of the major application systems around the world that our students apply to, and key elements to be aware of in order to assist them through their process. This event will take place virtually on 22 May at 7:30 PM EAT, and the details to access the meeting will be sent to D1 Parents/Guardians. The information is also available on the UWCEA Careers website, where you will also find…

UPCOMING College and University Events

15 May: 4:45-6:00 PM EAT 15 on the 15th returns with a “Hot Admissions Topic” and a virtual fair with 13 Davis UWC Scholar Partners & 2 UWC “friends”

16 May: Deadline to register for 1 June SAT in Moshi (https://www.uwcea.org/tests)

22 May: 7:30-8:30 PM EAT D1 Guardian/Parent Presentation: Post-Secondary Planning Part II: A World of Possibilities (Understanding international admissions)

**Many more events (and resources) are on the UWCEA Careers website, as well as individual institution websites/social media**

Take care and enjoy exploring!

Cassandra Ford
College and Career Counselor
cassandraford@uwcea.org