Moshi Campus News – 20 Sep 2025

There is never an off weekend here in Moshi. As you can see below in the newsletter we had sports yesterday and today and tomorrow we have the UWC Day events for Peace. Please see the details about what is happening on campus tomorrow so you can get involved.

Friday we have a Primary Gathering, the Blood Drive and a Farmers’ Market so I hope to see everyone around on that day as well.

Please note that the Week-Without-Walls trips for MYP are in just over a week and students will be getting ready this week. You should have received information about this and there are more details in the MYP section of the newsletter. Also at that time the D1 students will be off on Project week and they are just finalizing their plans as well. The week of the 29th will be a quiet one on campus.

On a completely different note, looking at non-school related news, congratulations to Alphonce Simbu, who won the men’s Marathon at the Athletics World Championship in Tokyo. This was the first ever gold medal for Tanzania in Athletics.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

UWC day is an important event, celebrated simultaneously by all 18 UWCs, embodying the same theme for this year: Voices for Peace. This day unifies all the UWC schools around the world to come together and celebrate and reflect on the beautiful movement that we’re all a part of.

This Sunday, on the 21st of September, we will be celebrating UWC Day from 5-8 pm on the bottom pitch. This is open to parents, alumni, and friends who would like to join the festivities as well.

Sunday Evening Programme:

• 5:00 – 6:00 pm: Speakers – Understanding Conflict & How We Can Use Our Voices for Peace + Performances
• 6:00 – 7:00 pm: Dinner in dining (free for day students)
• 7:00 – 7:45 pm: Screening of the documentary “The UWC Spirit”

So, come and enjoy a lovely and peaceful evening. Make sure to bring your flags, chairs, and anything cozy that you’d like for the documentary screening.

On Monday, we will continue celebrating within the school with activities designed for reflection and community building.

We look forward to sharing this peaceful and joyful evening with you as we celebrate the UWC movement together.

Sincerely,
UWC Day Planning Team

We are always looking for those who would be keen to work with our students in sports or other activities. At the moment we are looking specifically for those that want to coach students 13 to 19 years of age in football or basketball. If this is something that interests you, please email me at bobcofer@uwcea.org to learn more. Please feel free to share my email with others you think may be interested from our community.

The Language A students (English & Kiswahili) are preparing for their final Individual orals, which take place in the next few weeks and there is significant focus on University applications now. The week beginning 29 September will be Catch-Up Week, where students will be off-schedule and working on their Extended Essays, University Applications, CAS, the Arts or other pressing IAs. Day students are expected to be on campus – the school day will start at 9am and will end at 3pm, with some optional clubs until 4pm. They will have individual check-ins around Academics with Mrs Dowie, CAS with Ms Margaret and University Applications with Ms Elger but will also have some freedom to select their own goals.

This week saw the D1 Theatre class begin moving their collaboratively devised Verbatim piece to the stage of the Black Box in early preparations for performance. Verbatim theatre makes use of recorded interviews to construct a script which embodies real world ideas and reflections on a particular topic. The D1s have focused on the phenomenon of Deja Vu and Dreams, and their significance in our lived realities. Each student has entered the process not only as a performer, but also as a director and designer of distinct scenes within the performance. Their performance and developmental notes will cap off a quarter-long process of ensemble building and exploratory work in theatrical methods. Thanks to Mr Gadi.

These past two weeks, the D1 DSS (diploma success skills) class was flipped and students became the teachers. The class was split into various groups and had to present to their peers about the different Google Tools available to them. Some took a more traditional lecture approach, some were hands-on and some decided to role-play as detectives. Thanks to Ms Jamie for developing strong academic foundational skills.

Students also spent time in their Life Skills class planning for Project Week. Parents should have received an email from Ms Margaret with details of their child’s choices. Please reach out if you need any more information.

In English, some of the students ended the week outside under the beautiful shady African trees reading their play, “The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka” . There was a pair of hondo-hondo birds in the tree canopies and an occasional squirrel making its way along the branches. I was struck by the beautiful earthy campus we find ourselves in and ended with the week with a deep sense of gratitude.

Please note parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for the first week of November. More information to come.

Catherine Dowie – Head of Diploma

In a recent DP2 Physics experiment, students took to the football pitch to explore the fascinating phenomenon of sound wave interference. The experiment consisted of two speakers (one seen in the photo) placed several meters apart, each emitting a constant note of 256 Hz. Students are seen standing along two lines of silence—an area where the sound waves from the two speakers meet and cancel each other out, similar to the technology behind noise-canceling headphones. This is possible because, unlike matter, two sound waves can occupy the same space at the same time and negate each other. A special thanks to Mr. Emmanuel from the Music Department for lending us the equipment and to the DP2 Physics students for their help in carrying it.

Mateusz Jurecki

I keep saying this, but it never gets old! There’s never a quiet moment in MYP…  and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Each day brings new ideas, lively discussions, and moments of discovery that spill far beyond the classroom walls. Whether it’s a spark of creativity under the trees or a burst of laughter between lessons, our campus is alive with curiosity and connection.

MYP Week Without Walls Reminder
Please ensure the following are completed on Life (permission form opens Wednesday 17th):

• Approve the trip for your child on Learn
• Submit the permission form
• Update medical records and dietary information
• Upload ID documents (passport or government ID — non-Tanzanians require a valid Student Pass)
• Confirm emergency contact information

Thank you for helping us get everything in place for a smooth and exciting week ahead!

M5- Language and Literature English – Poetry for a Cause Unit
Please enjoy some of our M5’s Poetry!

M2- Language and Literature- English
The M2 class is studying the Hero’s Journey this quarter in their Language and Literature (English) class, and they are learning that most stories follow the Hero’s Journey, at least indirectly. They are currently working on Draft Two of their Heroes and Villains Comic Strips, which give each student a chance to creatively explore the Hero’s (or Villain’s!) Journey for themselves. Through the drafting process, students are discovering that their own stories already align with the Hero’s Journey in many ways. Make sure to ask your M2 about their hero or villain… they might even help you spot the Hero’s Journey in your favorite movies, TV shows, and books!

M1 Integrated Sciences – The Egg Experiment!
During our Science class, we conducted a fun experiment. We used different materials to try and protect eggs like foam, cardboards, cling film, paper, tissue etc… Then, we dropped the supposedly protected eggs from a height. We gathered the data, recorded it in our notebooks. We all agreed that maybe we should have used a different height! All the eggs broke, except for the one protected by foam! It’s either that was the winner, or Ima got really lucky!! (M1 students wrote this collaboratively!) … THE END (courtesy of Grady!)

MYP Dates to Remember

• September 29th to October 3rd – Week Without Walls
• October 10th – Classes End Q1
• October 11th – October 19th – October Break (Inclusive)
• October 20th – Q2 Begins

Have a great week ahead,
Farah Fawaz – Head of MYP

Yesterday Hope International came to campus to play football against our PYP students, congratulations to all the players on both sides for two weel played games.

Today we were able to welcome Orkeeswa after their long trip to play 11 aside football  with the two U19 teams. This was a great experience as most of our games are 7 aside.

Arusha campus joined Orkeeswa and us for under 16 basketball to have a three sided round robin. Thank you to both sets of teams for traveling all this way. Later today our rugby team takes on the local community team.

We have had a busy week of sport in the PYP. On Tuesday, 36 children travelled to Kennedy House for an athletics meet. Many thanks to all of the parents that went along to this event to support the children. The children had a lovely time and we had a range of results including some first places. Well done to all of our Leopard athletes. Due to the young age of many of our competitors, and the fact that the journey to Arusha campus often takes up to 3 hours, we do not plan on attending the Athletics meet in Arusha in late October. If you would like to discuss this further, please email me on deborahmills@uwcea.org.

On Friday we hosted teams from Hope on our campus for some friendly football tournaments. Some of our strong players from last year have moved up to MYP and the children are learning how to work as a new team without them. We were not victorious but our teams showed resilience and played with determination right to the end. Both schools demonstrated a good sporting attitude – well done to all players.

Our next sports fixture will be a swim meet at Kennedy House on 21st October. Coaches Collin and Patrick will share the names and details shortly and then invitations will be issued through Life. Please keep an eye out for the email.

On Monday 22nd September, the secondary school will celebrate UWC Day with different workshops. Our school presidents, Catalina and Azka, have said that they would like to do some peace related activities with the primary school children at a later date. I will share that information with you when I have it.

Please see below for a list of important dates for this semester. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Halloween is less than 2 weeks after we get back from the October break so we will need to start organising that soon. I will share sign up information for the Trunk or Treat plus details about candy donations in the next newsletter.

• This Friday, 26th September, there is a Primary Gathering in Karibu Hall at 7:40am. Ms. Jamie will be leading us in a sing along. We hope to see many of you there.
• 29th September – PYP MAP testing for P4 to P6 – details to be shared later
• 8th October – PYP Goal Setting Conferences
• 10th October – Classes end
• 20th October – Classes start
• 21st October – Swim meet at Kennedy House.
• 31st October – Moshi PYP Halloween celebration – optional event.
• 4th November – PYP Athletics Day (Moshi)
• 7th November – Swim meet at SCIS
• 4th December – Evening of the Arts
• 8th December – End of semester whole school assembly
• 9th December – Independence Day
• 10th December – PYP Parent Teacher Conferences
• 12th December – Last day of classes

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

Our discussion about work and classroom jobs has taken on a turn which I did not expect. We listed the kind of work a teacher does and the kind of work a student does in class. We discussed the types of work a student could do. The children chose quite a number, and we drew little pictures to illustrate each one. Now, when it came to assigning these jobs, we came to a standstill because some people wanted the same job, which only required one person to do it. When we tried to tackle this, Ms Neema suggested that we should hold interviews. Some students understood the term, while others did not.

In the coming week, we will tackle the word ‘interviews’: what they are and what they are for. We will also carry out some practice interviews. The aim will be for students to finally choose two jobs they want to do and be interviewed for them.

Mboka Mwasongwe

We’ve been so very busy this week! Most of the class went to Kennedy House on Tuesday and I’m so proud of the reports about the day. The remaining students were productive and happy. Please remember to send in Swimming gear on Tuesday. We carried on with our swim lesson despite the small numbers this past week.

The unit focus of our week was Heroes of History and it was serious. Parents, I must tell you that your children were so very engaged and reflective. We talked about how Superheroes have villains that they must face. Then we discussed real-life bad things like segregation and slavery. We kept the discussions at a young level, and we focused on the stories of people who worked for freedom and equality. We have made simple books that highlight the stories of Harriet Tubman, MLK, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Malala and others. Our class will have our Primary Gathering on the 3rd of October and we will be focusing on our Hero Unit.

Pop by to see our new art display. We looked at art terms like foreground, background and perspective. We viewed landscapes painted by Grant Wood and then had a terrific time making our own “Lambscapes.”

Kacey Buckley

This week the children have been learning maths vocabulary related to addition and subtraction. Our Unit of Inquiry took an unexpected turn this week when Luke pointed out that not all mistakes are bad and told us that the ice cream cone had been invented by accident. That led to some research about “useful mistakes” and the class is now creating some comic strips on this theme that we plan to share with parents and other classes at a later date. The photo shows some of our yeti art (I can’t do that … yet!)

We will start our new unit of inquiry next week:

Transdisciplinary theme: How we express ourselves

Central idea: Through storytelling, people entertain, record history, preserve culture and explain the unknown.

Lines of inquiry:

• Stories can be told in different ways
• Story genres and elements
• How stories relate to culture and history

If you have a favourite story that you would like to read to the children, please email me (deborahmills@uwcea.org) We would love to hear from you.

Deborah Mills

This week in P6, students have been diving into research on ancient civilizations, asking thoughtful questions and beginning to piece together how early societies shaped the world we live in today. Alongside their research, they have been working on crafting introductions for their writing pieces, learning how to engage their readers from the very first sentence.

We also began reading our new class book, A Long Walk to Water. The story has quickly captured the students’ attention, sparking meaningful discussions and many insightful questions. We are excited to see how their connections to the text deepen as we continue.

In Mathematics, we are nearing the end of our unit on fractions. The class has been practicing identifying, simplifying, and working with fractions, and next week we will begin the important step of converting fractions into decimals.

Finally, a highlight of the week was Athletics Day at Kennedy House. The students showed great sportsmanship and energy, making us all very proud. A heartfelt thank you goes to Mr. Emmanuel, Coach T, Miss Zitha, and everyone else who worked hard to organize such a fantastic event.

It has been a busy and rewarding week of learning, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the days ahead!

Elisha Jaffer

‘My values guide me every day, in what I do and what I say’

This week in PYP life skills, our discussions focused on personal values. In the previous lesson students explored actions and consequences reinforcing the importance of thinking before acting. Building on this, we learned how values guide our behavior and help us make good choices which in turn strengthens responsible decision-making skills.

How parents can support at home:

You can extend this learning by reading a short fable or story with your child, such as ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf ‘ or’ The Lion and the Mouse’ (Aesop’s fable), ‘Stand in My Shoes’ by Bob Sornson just to mention a few.

After the story, ask your child:

• What value did the character show?
• What happened when they did not follow the value?
• How does this value look in real life?

These simple conversations help children make connections between stories and their own daily lives, encouraging them to practice positive values at home and at school.

Keziah – Social emotional counselor.

The first Reefs trip of the year has departed! On this trip, M1–M4 students will take part in activities including beach clean-ups, urchin removal (fish feeding), forest walks, mangrove climbs, mangrove canal snorkelling excursions, open-water snorkelling, kayaking, and tubing. They will learn the basics of snorkelling, practise underwater communication (similar to scuba diving), and gain insights into the Coral Reefs Regeneration Project and the threats facing marine wildlife in this area. It promises to be a brilliant introduction to marine conservation!

With the 24-hour run complete, there has been a quick turnaround for the OP team as Week Without Walls trips fast approach.

Although these are curriculum trips, the OP team plays a major role in coordinating tents, transport, food, and equipment, to name just a few – an operation with many moving parts.

This week we also welcomed Mercy, who has joined us as part of her university placement. Mercy is currently studying at the College of African Wildlife Management in Mweka and is eager to gain hands-on experience with the OP program. She will be working closely with Mr Isaac and Mr Salimu in the OP store, helping to maintain and organise equipment, supporting trip logistics, and joining OP trips as needed.

Mr Andy

During the 24-Hour Run, our waste management initiative proved to be very successful. This is made possible by the combined efforts of the school community and the Sustainability Committee. This year’s 24-Hour run, we introduced several new measures to reduce waste and promote environmentally conscious practices. Food stalls served meals on banana-leaf plates, an eco-friendly alternative that eliminated the need for disposable plastics. In addition, reusable plates were gathered from the dorms and OP stores to further minimize unnecessary consumption.

To ensure smooth operations, a deposit system was implemented: people paid a 1K deposit for their plate and received it back upon returning the plate. This simple but effective system encouraged everyone to take responsibility for reusing materials, and the result was positive.

Most importantly, the community showed real commitment by sorting waste correctly into compost, paper, and other bins. This collective effort not only reduced the event’s environmental footprint but also showcased how practical solutions and shared responsibility can make a meaningful difference. We are proud of what was accomplished and look forward to building on this momentum in future events.

After all, the 24-Hour Run this year was not just a run for a purpose but it was proof that sustainability can be at the heart of our school traditions. Thank you to everyone who contributed and showed that together, we can make every event greener.

Lily