As you have seen over the past weeks, and quite clearly if you read below, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved on campus for everyone. Last week we had the assembly, primary gathering and the Farmers’ Market and this week we have Book Week, Spirit Week, the Blood Drive and much more. Particularly with book week I know the primary classes are looking for outside readers to share their time reading a story.
Beyond this there are the KMC monthly talks (last one was Wednesday), Community Choir and several community sports that occur weekly at different times. Please do check with us if you have an interest in finding out more. Please also remember that as a school safeguarding is important. We do ask people coming for these events to check in at the front gate so we have a record of who is on campus.
While I could go on about what is happening, please just read below and if you are in Moshi we really hope to see you at the International Day on Saturday being led by the PTA and the Student Government. Funds from this go to the PTA and drive their involvement in other projects.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Upcoming
Please join us on Saturday. If you have not signed up to bring food or other items to exhibit your culture, there is still time to contact Mandy (mandy@neemainternational.org) to help.
The entry cost is 2000Tsh for adults and 1000Tsh for kids. There will be coupons available for food, and drinks are also on sale.
There will be a bouncy castle for the youngest ones and the students are organizing stage performances for our entertainment.
Ben’s Corner
As the UWCEA machine rolls ever onwards, it would be sensible to pause and take a moment to savour, enjoy and revel in our collective successes. To stop and smell the proverbial roses. However, in such a dynamic school, this can prove challenging. As soon as you begin to digest one event, the next big occasion is upon you in the blink of an eye.
This time last week, I was lost in the Yaeda Valley with our M1s on their unparalleled Week Without Walls adventure. This time tomorrow (at time of writing), I will, hopefully, be in a tent somewhere in Ngorongoro Conservation Area with our Plains Level 5 trailblazers. It is hard to imagine such singular opportunities at any other school, where these unique experiences literally present themselves week after week. It is such a privilege to be able to be so involved.
Of course, as I often reference here, these opportunities are only possible with the tireless support of our wider community, as well as our dedicated ancillary and teaching staff (and their families) who give up so much to support such seemingly limitless extra-curricular activities.
Particular kudos this week must surely go to our OP team who only received the truckloads of gear from last week’s adventures on Monday and Tuesday and yet managed to clean, repair, reorganise and repack everything ready for two trips to go out over the long weekend.
Next week, after a richly deserved long weekend, we have all the exciting trappings of Book Week, Spirit Week, PYPX trips, a Cultural Night, another Blood Drive and our annual International Day. I guess the roses will have to wait for a little while longer.
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
The D2 students have had the mock examination papers returned and have had time to discuss them with their teachers. They should have submitted their final TOK essay and Extended Essay and HL essay where appropriate. They also need to finalise some IAs. Then they need to prepare for the final orals and CAS interviews, the dates of which have been shared with them. For D1 it is back to work after Project Week.
Students from both years were involved in the Black History Month Assembly last week and others are planning the upcoming one for Women’s Day. There is also book week assembly in the middle of these mentioned ones.
EAMUN
The first three days of EAMUN have gone really well for the 9 delegates who have travelled to Nairobi. They have all raised their placards to speak and have been able to present resolutions, amendments and speak for and against resolutions. A full report will be included next week.
Margaret Brunt – DP Coordinator
Residential Life
I am excited as the long weekend provides us a unique opportunity to bond with our students in our care, for many to see loved ones and many to have a much-needed break to recharge their batteries and importantly, to reflect on what an incredible quarter it has been thus far.
It has certainly been ‘all go’ here in residential life, as we say, as many returned from adventures across Tanzania or completed mock examinations. Whilst writing this, I often think that we tend to move at such a pace we lose the opportunity to appreciate all that we do here and all that our residential parents and mentors do for our students. We are fortunate to have so many opportunities to explore this beautiful country and furthermore, we are fortunate to have such caring and committed staff that compliment the integrity of our students as they help them navigate their journey, challenges, trials, and tribulations.
For the long weekend, we have multiple activities for those on campus. Whether it be various town trips, cycling adventures, movies in Arusha, visiting the beautiful hot springs, movie nights on campus for all ages or sport tournaments, there is something for everyone. What impresses me the most however, is that these are entirely student driven and I would like to extend my gratitude to the many EA staff supporting me in residence this weekend to make it special for those that remain.
Simon Johnston – Head of Residential Life
Student Government
We are excited to announce that in conjunction with our PTA we have UWCEA International Day on the 4th of March and we hope to see our community, students and staff come together to celebrate our unique heritage, diversity, and inclusion. Further to this, we have spirit week next week which is another opportunity for all to come together and break routine for the second part of the semester. Finally, our Prom planning is underway, and as hard as it is to believe we are this far in the year, it is a reality, and no doubt will be another success.
Amalia
MYP News
M2 Guest Speaker and Excursion Mr. Baden and the M2 class had quite the experience ! To start with, Mr. Aat was invited to speak to the students about aviation and dynamics of flight, as part of the Design unit “Playing with Wind”.
The students visited the Moshi Airfield to have a closer look at various aircrafts and investigate how airplanes, helicopters, plane builders and pilots use design and engineering to achieve flight.
Peer to Peer: Khartoum International Community School’s Visit
We were very happy to host KICS for a whole afternoon full of learning, fun and new formed friendships that seem to have resulted in many smiles!
Our Peer to Peer service group greeted the students, engaged in ice-breaker activities with them to ensure a friendly atmosphere. They then introduced the MYP Personal Project to them and shared their experience so far through a brief presentation and very exciting “speed dating” activity. Both cohorts of students exchanged stories about their cultures and educational journeys so far. Our P2P group shared their experiences as part of a UWC community here in East Africa, and then of course everyone “chilled” at the Duka!
Important MYP Dates to Keep in Mind:
March 6th – Mock Orals Week (M5 French)
March 10th – MYP Science Fair
March 15th – Final Drafts of PP reports
March 20th – e-Assessments Mocks Week AND Final Orals (M5 French)
April 1st – 16th Easter/ Spring Break
May 8th – 19th – MYP5 e-Assessments (official)
June 2nd – M5 Ceremony
Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
PYP News
Congratulations to the P2/3 class for their very informative presentation on “Light and Sound” in Friday’s gathering.
We have a busy week ahead when we return to school after the long weekend. You should have received an email detailing the dress up themes for spirit week
Tuesday – Pyjama Day
Wednesday – Clashing Colours Day
Thursday – Dress as a Book Character Day
Our focus in the PYP will be Book Week. Please send “Get Caught Reading” photos of your child reading in an unusual position or location to the class teacher so these can be used in a display.
The photo shows the Brownies (Girl Scouts) with their collection of food and blankets for Mbwa wa Africa dog sanctuary. Alayna (P6) has posted an article about rehoming dogs, elsewhere in this newsletter.
Dates to note:
Tuesday 28th February onwards – Book Week and Spirit Week
Thursday, 2nd March – Book Week assembly at 10:30 in Karibu Hall. You are very welcome to attend.
Monday, 6th March – whole school assembly for International Women’s Day
Tuesday, 7th March – PYP swim gala – Moshi Campus
Wednesday, 8th March – class photos for year book – please remind your child to wear a school T-shirt
Thursday, 16th March- PYP Exhibition presentation to community members.
Thursday 23rd March – PYP Student Led Conferences
Friday, 24th March – PYP Disco – more details to follow
Deborah Mills – PYP Coordinator
Book Week Speaker
We are excited to have Jeremy Sherr as the Speaker for our Book Week Assembly! Many of you know Jeremy as the father to students Noga and Amy (D2 and M5) but he will be joining us to talk about being a published author of a wonderful book, The Noble Adventures of Beryl and Carol. Jeremy will be talking about the genre of Adventure stories and the process of writing a book. The book is aimed at middle grade readers but makes for an excellent read-aloud story for younger children. It will be available for purchase during Book Week at 20,000 Tsh. Parents are welcome to the Assembly at 10:30 in Karibu Hall.
PYP Exhibition
Hi my name is Alayna, I am in P6 and I have 2 questions for you.
Do you have room in your heart for a small puppy?
Have you ever wanted a dog or a cat?
Well you’re in luck! I went to an animal sanctuary called Mbwa-wa-Africa with the Brownies (a girl scout club).
The lady that owns the sanctuary (Sandra) is looking for people to adopt the cats and dogs that have been taken care of and are waiting for a forever home. The dogs are all vaccinated.
For my PYP Exhibition I am learning about the challenges faced by stray animals. On the day of my Exhibition (16th March) I will be selling dog treats to raise money for the sanctuary to help vaccinate dogs against rabies so that they and their community stay healthy. I hope to see you there.
P1/EC Class
We had a four day week of getting to know Farmer duck and his story. The children have started to work on a little skit for you. It is going to be fun.
Next week is book week! We love book week. Mystery readers: We are looking for mystery readers to come and read to the children every morning from Tuesday to Thursday. Please let me know if you are willing and we can slot you in the timetable.
Dress up as your favourite character: This will be on Thursday. Remember assembly will be after break and the children will be parading in their costumes then. This is usually our swimming time. We will change it to another time and will let you know of the change beforehand.
I hope you all have a peaceful long weekend.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
The whole class was happy to present at the Gathering on Thursday. They have enjoyed this unit very much and were brimming with ideas of things to share with everyone. I hope no one is tiring of the Transparent, Translucent, Opaque song at home, it is rather catchy! We will continue on with our study of sound and look at how ears work.
We’re very excited about Book Week. I hope that the whole class will participate in Get Caught Reading and the Costume Day! We are looking forward to having some guest readers – do let me know if you’d like to pop in to read a storybook one day. It is such a fun week for celebrating the joys of reading.
Kacey Buckley
P4/5 Class
This week we have been looking at adding and subtracting fractions. The children also started decorating the classroom door for the book door competition and began their short stories for the writing competition. Next week our focus will be on books. We will start new reading groups, we will write book reviews and our maths lessons will have a book focus. Please send me an email if you would be willing to come and read to the class – we would love to see you! Tuesday is pyjama day, Wednesday is clashing colours day and Thursday is dress as a book character day. I hope the children enjoyed the long weekend and look forward to seeing them on Tuesday morning.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
A short week but productive. After both the u11 teams registered wins at football last week our motto was, “Winning isn’t always about scoring more; it’s about being the best you can be.” We discussed how each of us can set our own targets and these should be what pushes us on. (We also discussed winning and losing in a sporting manner.) As we approach March our exhibition nears. I’d like to thank all the mentors for the time they have spent supporting the P6 students. It’s always good to have an alternative adult voice to work with and I know the class appreciate your input.
Hywel Davies
Sports Update
It’s time for the Interhouse Swimming Gala! Primary school students will showcase their swimming development and skills on March 7th, and secondary school students will follow on March 15th. All students must participate in the Gala, except for those in the DP program, who may opt to join if they wish.
The After Sports program is an important part of student life and it is important to remember that no members of the community are allowed to join the sports clubs during practice as physical differences can lead to injuries.
We do have some community sports activities on campus outside of our student focused ones. These are primarily after 6pm Monday to Thursday and on the weekend. We will send out a schedule in the coming week. We do ask all members of the community that come for these to sign in at the gate as this is part of our safeguarding procedures.
Mostafa Rihan – Sports & Activities Coordinator
Touch Rugby
Our touch rugby team, Moshi Mangoes, with 4 community members, won the plate tournament in the Annual Arusha Tournament. With Joshua as captain and Ben, Zita, Felice and Megan all playing key roles. We lifted the shield after 7 gruelling games. The team developed throughout the day and surprised a few by the end. A great effort by all players!
From the Counselors
On the Moshi campus presentations will be:
Wednesday, March 29th In-person 7:30-10:05 am EAT (time slots are 25-30 minute increments)
Your input is being sought by the Council of International Schools. They are seeking to understand how schools, universities, and parents can best support international school students as they move from secondary school to university. Survey completion takes 10 minutes.
D1 Parent Meeting – SAVE THE DATE- Thursday, March 23rd (virtual) 7:30-8:30 pm
In this meeting, we will discuss the college application process and how you can be involved as a parent.
Andrea Kitomary – University Counselor
Outdoor Pursuits
This weekend is very exciting as we have our level 5 Plains trip to Ngorongoro. This conversation focused trip gives students and trip leaders the opportunity to be part of the largest wildlife migration in the Tanzanian area. Also this weekend we have our Peaks level 4 trip in Natron. We wish students and staff an amazing adventure.
Look out for our upcoming OP trips:
Peaks Level 1 to Longido: 10 March – 12 March Rides Level 3 to Simba farm: 17 March – 19 March Mindfulness Level 0 to Lengijave: 18 March – 19 March Reefs Level 4 Service Dives: 24 March – 28 March Reefs Level 4 PADI Advanced Open Waters: 24 March – 28 March
Baden Dowie – Experiential Learning Coordinator
Sustainability Committee
On Wednesday, I, along with my project week group “Make a wish upon a starfish” and the school’s sustainability committee made our way to the recycling plant in Moshi. Upon reaching, our project week team disposed of the trash we collected from Pangani coastal area along with the school’s recyclables. Soon after, we were greeted by the plant manager who cordially showed us how the entire process of how recycling works. We learned from him about the stages of cutting, cleaning, and melting and most importantly, how these recycled plastic products help create a circular flow in the economy.
While I was amazed to see the hard-working people in the plant working all day in the sun to make this a reality, I also could not help but wonder where all these mountains of plastic would have ended up had there not been a recycling plant in Moshi. I was glad to be a part of this amazing process and the entire time and one thought that kept coming back to me was,” we need more of these”.
Being aware of how dangerous plastic and similar inorganic wastes are for the environment, I truly realized how important of a role it played for both the economy and the environment. It was an eye-opening experience for all of us and it was a real boost in our motivation to keep working for a better world.
Reduone
Chess Tournament
We are excited to announce the upcoming chess tournament on the 18th and 19th of March! Open to all students, parents and staff members, this chess competition will be an unforgettable experience. It is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your chess skills and compete against others, with unique activities to make chess more fun than ever. Whether you’re a seasoned chess player or just starting out, this tournament has something for everyone.
If enough students from primary sign up, we will be offering a separate primary section within the tournament. To sign up for the tournament, please use the following link: https://forms.gle/fJ1LvDaSum4V5pWY7
For any questions, feel free to email us at jonatanc23@uwcea.org Don’t miss the opportunity to be in the biggest chess tournament this school has ever seen. We look forward to seeing you on the 18th and 19th of March!
