Arusha Campus News – 14 May 2023

UWC East Africa Arusha Campus Newsletter Sunday 14th May 2023

From left, Vera, Nicolene, Jimmy, Julius, Ellen and Aarav celebrate their stupendous PYP Exhibition with a cake!

Upcoming dates

Fri 19th May – Moshi Campus D2 Graduation Day

Sat 20th May – Arusha Campus D2 Graduation Day

Sat 20th May – U13/U15/Open Touch Rugby at SCIS

Mon 22nd May – PYP MAP Testing Week starts

Sat 27th May – PTA Car Boot Sale

Mon 29th May – MYP MAP Testing Week starts

Dear Parents

The Under 9 cross country squad attack the front in this weekend’s event at Braeburn!

We have had a busy two weeks since my last newsletter and lots of people coming to the end of certain stages of their journey!

Diploma exams are now into their final week and it is difficult to believe that next weekend we will be celebrating the D2 Graduation! What a journey to celebrate next Saturday!

The PYP Exhibition was a phenomenal success and the six students involved presented their research topics impressively. A big thank you to Mr Ali for guiding his students through to the culmination of their PYP journey.

Congratulations to our student athletes – netball, cross country and even golf have featured in the last two weeks with great competition and sporting conduct throughout. Well done to those students and to MIss Caitrin for her organisation.

As I write, our XP Bronze Adventurers have just returned from their Bronze Adventure in Burungi. Plenty more about them next week and a full explanation of the XP Concept.

Looking forward to a smooth week ahead on Arusha Campus.

Phil

PYP News

Wow P6. Well done! You presented an amazing EXHIBITION.

The P6 Exhibition (pictured above and below) this year took on a different form with the students each having a station to showcase their learning.

Aarav showed his learning about space with a fantastic scale model of the solar system.

Ellen’s compassion and understanding towards people with disabilities was heartwarming.

Jimmy’s passion and knowledge about motocross and engines was incredible to listen to.

Julius’s enthusiasm towards electrical circuits captured everyone’s attention.

Nicolene explained the different types of swimming activities that have evolved into adrenaline sports, captivating her audience.

Vera was able to explain how to care for rescue dogs showing a mature and extremely responsible nature.

A huge thank you to Mr Ali and Ms Sarah for guiding the students through their exhibitions

Amanda, PYP Co-ordinator

MYP Update

Our M5 Students sat their on-screen exams last week

Internal (school-based) assessment is part of every MYP unit. Through effective formative assessment, teachers gather and use a variety of evidence to discover what is going well and what can be improved in the student’s learning. Formative assessment is an ongoing process and check-ins can take the form of a quick quiz or peer assessment task, but can also be a more formal graded assessment supported by teacher feedback. Summative assessments are designed to provide evidence of student achievement in that unit against the MYP objectives for that particular subject. Across a variety of assessment tasks, teachers use descriptors to identify students’ achievement levels, using a ‘best-fit’ approach.

Currently, our M5 students are taking their final MYP exams. In addition to school-based assessment, students take eAssessments in their final MYP year, These are externally assessed or moderated by the IB. Students take on-screen examinations in English Language & Literature, (Extended) Mathematics, Integrated Sciences, Integrated Humanities and French Language Acquisition as well as an Interdisciplinary exam. In addition, they develop ePortfolios of coursework in the subjects of PHE and one of the Arts (Visual Arts, Music or Drama) and the Personal Project.

Anoek, MYP Co-ordinator

MYP Service As Action

Anisa, Jessica and Siri create a mural before some intrigued onlookers!

Last week on Friday some of our MYP students went to Magereza primary school to do some drawings and painting as part of their Service as Action activities.

This activity was very successful as the school looks  nicer now and we hope the drawings on the walls would help students learn.

Both teachers and students at Magereza appreciated our service and they asked us to go again for some more drawings.

Mr Gift, Service as Action Coordinator

From the PE Department

The big annual NTSAA cross country meeting took place this weekend (see montage above). In the final standings, U7’s came 3rd and the U9’s came 2nd! 

We had very few representatives from our U15 category due to the concurrent Plains Level 4 and XP Bronze Trips. However the D1 deamteam of  Barbushi, Ahmed and Usman came straight from the Bio trip and ran their hearts out in the Open actegory!

Congratulations to our netballers who spent last Saturday competing at the NTSAA tournament. Our Open team won and our U15’s came 3rd out of 7 schools.

We are excited to tell you about a new UWCEA Arusha Rhino swimming costume. The deisgns are in and we ask you to watch this space to be able to place your order for your very own UWCEA Rhino Swimming Costume.

Miss Caitrin, PE

Counselor’s Corner

May is Mental Health Awareness Week (UK)/Month (US)

Transitions are a time of tremendous emotion and anticipation of what is to come. Change is a part of life, and if handled in a healthy way, can lead to wonderful new beginnings with treasured memories to reflect on over time. As our D2s prepare to leave our campus, and begin their next journey, I thought it was a good time to review the process of “leaving well” and the key concepts to focus on to maintain mental health and well being through the changes life brings.

Building a R.A.F.T. is a concept that was introduced in 2017 in acknowledgement of the challenges that Third Culture Kids (TCKs) face when they have to leave home and create a new life in a place that is foreign to them for a variety of reasons. There are four steps that one must carefully go through to build a proper R.A.F.T. in order to properly end one journey and be ready to embrace the next. Here are the four components of R.A.F.T. building:

R – “Reconciliation includes the need to both forgive and be forgiven”
A – “[Affirmation] not only solidifies our relationships for future contact, but in expressing what they have meant to us, we are reminded of what we have gained from living in this place”
F – Farewells. Knowing it’s the last time they will see someone or something and saying an intentional goodbye can assist with closure.
T – Think Destination. Young people (and adults) can be prompted to share their hopes, fears, thoughts, and feelings about their next home.
(Based on R.A.F.T. Model-Pollock et al., 2017 & ISCA article by S Tempel April 2023 )
I encourage each of you who are preparing for a life transition to think about how building a R.A.F.T. may be beneficial in your life. If you would like more information on this topic, please see the link below.
Tips for transitioning with young people: docs.google.com/document/d/1iSFmotbKaeUZRLIedd4v5zmS_OTh7pbuBAGIAzlfJgM/edit

In addition, May is the time to better understand your mental health and build awareness of the mental health concerns of others you engage with. I invite everyone to spend some time focusing on being more in tune with your emotional state, especially during this time of change for many, and empathetic to what others may be going through around you. Resources can be found on the link below to help you in this important work:

https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month

As one group leaves another gears up for their final year

Thank you to those of you who attended the virtual events this week. We hope you found them to be beneficial as you prepare for the upcoming international admissions cycle. If you missed the Clark University/WPI presentation about “Financing Your US Education,” or the University of Edinburgh presentation about their institution and “Studying in the UK,” please email me and I can send you the resources from either/both. The presentations will also be added to the UWCEA Careers website soon, so students will have access once they are uploaded in the “Past Presentations” section and can share with their families from the website.

Our next major virtual event is the D1 Parent Presentation Part II: Application Systems from Around the World. See the details below as you plan to join us for this informative event. Since we will be covering a lot of information in a short period of time, we ask that you submit country specific questions in advance.

When: Wednesday, 24 May @ 7:30-9:00 PM EAT

Where: Zoom link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4095574237
Meeting ID: 409 557 4237

If you have any country specific questions, please email Counselor_arusha@uwcea.org so that we can prepare answers in advance.

Stay tuned for more events coming your way…

15 May: 15 on the 15th – 15 Liberal Arts Colleges Present a topic and then a virtual fair 4:45-6:00PM EAT May 2023 – The Role of Standardized Testing and English Language Proficiency Exams
Link to register: https://connect.cmc.edu/register/15onthe15th
16 May: Arusha campus – Application support drop in sessions: UK UCAS 7:30-8:15 PM and US Common App 8:15-9:00 PM EAT in Matemu Mezzanine
17 May: UCAS Hub: A Day of Live Questions and Answers 12-5 PM EAT – Virtual opportunity to ask any questions you have about applying to the UK
Link to more information and to submit questions in advance: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/ucas-hub-live
19 May: Deadline to register for 3 June SAT (in Moshi) www.uwcea.org/tests
23 May: 7:30 PM IN PERSON Arusha Campus (Performance Area) Pomona College, Swarthmore College, and Williams College (Three Davis UWC Partner Institutions. Topic: Highly selective liberal arts colleges and essay writing)
24 May: 7:30-9:30 PM EAT Part II: D1 Parent/Guardian Presentation: Preparing for the Global College Application Process – virtual (please see Zoom link above)
3 June: 7:30-11:00 AM EAT SAT in Moshi
9 June: AM Arusha and PM Moshi Time: TBD Amherst College in person visit
15 June: 15 on the 15th – 15 Liberal Arts Colleges Present a topic and then a virtual fair 4:45-6:ooPM EAT June 2023 – Essay Writing: Make an Impact
Link to register: https://connect.cmc.edu/register/15onthe15th
*Please note that 13 of the 15 Colleges are Davis UWC Scholar Partner Institutions!*

Enjoy the journey that life has in store for you,

Cassandra Ford

College and Career Counselor

cassandraford@uwcea.org

Young Life Tanzania

Hello UWC!  We are so thankful to your amazing community of staff and students for welcoming Young Life to your campus.  (See below for Who/What we are!)

Upcoming Events (M4-D2): (1) Young Life Club, May 13th at Dennis and Tara Cox’ house in Aga Khan, 5:30-8:30pm. Fun and dinner are provided.  (2) Young Life Weekend, June 2-4!  Join us and your friends from UWC and Braeburn, as we get out of Arusha and go have fun at a lodge beyond Moshi.  The weekend will be FULL of good things.  All M4-D2 are welcome.  The cost is TSh 150,000 and includes transportation, lodging (not camping), food, fun and a T-shirt!  (Scholarships available via easy application).  Deadline for signups is May 22nd, so sign up today.  Parents: We would love to meet you and answer any questions.  Please reach out to us with questions or to grant permission for your student(s).

What/Who is Young Life?  Young Life is an International Christian organization whose adult volunteers get to know / mentor students M4-D2.  YL a place where individuals’ differences are honored, no matter their background or faith.  There is never any pressure to think or believe a certain way.  Our family moved to Arusha in August 2021 and have been working for YL for 14 years.  Along with other volunteers from the school community, we consider ourselves fortunate to call many students from UWC and Braeburn our friends. We cheer our friends on, listen to them, and support them in their endeavors.  We have a ton of fun at our YL Club events where we eat, play and talk about life and the good news of God’s love for them.  We welcome questions and conversation from parents or students.

Best Regards, Tara Cox (0712 607 265 and taradianecox@gmail.com) and Dennis Cox (0712 601 906 and dennis.cox@braeburn.sc.tz).

Recycling Report

Calendar

May

June