This is the last week before the April holiday and the pace is not really letting up. This last week we had the fantastic PYPx. It was a great job done by the P6 students supported by their teachers, mentors and parents. Thank you to everyone that made their success possible. For those that could not attend please read more about it below.
This was not the only recent event as you will see in the newsletter and as I finish this off the sports teams for volleyball, netball and ultimate frisbee have had a great morning of sport. On the other side of campus, the D2 art students are getting ready for Sunday night and their Art Exhibition.
On Monday and Tuesday we have the PYP and MYP swim Galas followed by the PYP Student-led conferences on Wednesday. Speaking of conferences, thank you to the secondary parents that joined us last week for those conferences.
Thursday is the last school day of the term and we will run to a normal school schedule. Classes will restart on Monday April 15th at the regular time. Three highlights of that week back will be the MYP Personal Project Presentations on 18th, and the 19th will have both the D2 farewell assembly and the next Farmers’ Market.
The newsletter is long this week so be sure to click on the view entire message link at the bottom in order to access all the information.
Our next newsletter will come out before we return, but in the meantime, I wish you a happy, safe and restful holiday.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Upcoming Events
Farmers’ Market
While we just had one, please save the date for our next market which will be Friday April 19th from noon to 4pm.
Ben’s Corner
PYPX remains one of my favourite events of the school calendar. This Thursday’s celebration exceeded all my expectations…it was fabulous.
The individual inquiries were varied, well-researched, current and thought provoking. There was a genuine sense of connection to the ‘topics’ and this came across in the different presentations. The multiple boards looked fantastic, a visual journey across all the different elements of the process. There was reindeer meat, algae juice, seaweed and honey to sample and countless Kahoots to test the audience. All of the P6 (and Ms. Zitha!) looked resplendent in their bespoke t-shirts as they shared evidence of Action, articulating how their PYPX experience inspired them to become agents of change.
Rafiki Hall was full to capacity and everyone enjoyed the wonderful French, Swahili and Music collaborative performances that started the evening, testament to the genuinely transdisciplinary nature of the PYP. The room was abuzz with positive energy all evening and the whole occasion was a real celebration of learning and community.
Huge congratulations to the students, PYPX supervisors, parents, Mr. Afzal and the team and, of course, the specialist teachers, Ms. Zitha and Ms. Natasha. An enormous team effort and an unprecedented success. I hope that everyone connected with PYPX 2024 is feeling very proud today.
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
PYP News
Thank you to everyone who came to the PYP Exhibition on Thursday evening. Our P6 students did a wonderful job of sharing their learning in English, French and Kiswahili. We enjoyed a musical performance and eight informative presentations on child labour, water pollution, deforestation, the Sami people, algae, energy, world hunger and bees. Congratulations to Ms. Natasha, Ms. Zitha and the P6 class. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this event possible – your names were listed on the Gratitude Board on display on Thursday and we are very grateful to all of you.
The PYP swimming gala will take place on Monday. This will start at 9:00 and all children are participating. Your child needs to wear a house T-shirt and bring a swim kit, towel, water bottle and snack to school. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen before the children come to school. We are looking forward to a lovely day – thank you to Coach Pickell, Coach Sabini, Coach T and Coach Patrick for organising this event for us. Please come along to support the children.
Wednesday is the Student Led Conference day. Many children tell us that the Student Led Conference is their favourite day of the school year. It is a chance for children to share work they are proud of with those whose opinion and praise counts the most (you, the parents). The SLCs provide an opportunity for the children to identify their strengths and also those areas which they still need to develop. The child reflects in their own words on how far they’ve come and their hopes about their future learning and the parents are active listeners, giving positive feedback and thinking of how they can best support the child. The experience is intended to boost the child’s self confidence and motivation to succeed. Mums and Dads – be sure to wear appropriate footwear for movement as Coach T is preparing some sports activities for you to enjoy!
Thursday is the last day of the quarter. Classes will finish at the normal time. We will begin the day with a Primary Gathering in which the Swahili classes will share their learning. The Hungarian Dance club, run by Balazs (D2) will also perform. You are warmly invited to join us at 7:40am in Rafiki.
A reminder that there are no after school clubs for PYP students next week, with the exception of the Hungarian Dance club which will take place on Tuesday as usual. Coach Pickell is currently organising the schedule for clubs in Quarter 4. He will share the sign up information and the starting date for Quarter 4 clubs with you by email. If you are willing to offer a club we would be very grateful for your help as we are a small primary staff and rely on parental involvement. Please contact Coach Pickell on joshpickell@uwcea.org. Many thanks to those parents and Diploma students who supported the Primary after school clubs program this quarter.
Deborah Mills – PYP Coordinator
Diploma News
The end is approaching for D2 they only have 9 school days left. This week has seen the orals for French B, Kiswahili A, Kiswahili ab initio and Spanish ab initio. The attitude and behavior has remained good. Although a few exams had to be rescheduled due to illness the students communicated clearly and in advance about this. Another task is now ticked off the list.
The presentations for Global Politics have also taken place this week and the Art Exhibition set is happening as I write. I hope those of you who are in Moshi will be able to attend. The last IAs should be coming in this week and then the focus is on revision. CAS interviews have continued this week and I continue to be blown away by what students have achieved.
Their exams start on 24th April with Language A examinations for our Kiswahili students and the majority of the Self-Taught Students and end with French on 17th May. Graduation will take place on Saturday 18th May.
The D1 students seem to have had a flurry of summative assessments this week as teachers want to finish topics before the Easter break. As always when there is a break students are encouraged to be balanced and do a mixture of work and relaxation.
Last week on Sunday we had the Bolivian cultural night which was as always informative and enjoyable. On Friday we had the Farmers’ Market which was organised by a group of students.
It was good to see many parents at the conferences on Tuesday and Thursday. Having the students with the teacher and the parents online allows for some good conversations. It is always nice to see the interactions that take place. If you were unable to attend, please email the teachers for some brief feedback.
Margaret Brunt – Diploma Coordinator
Diploma English
Three of our English classes got together this week to collaborate on a unit on Magazine Covers. We looked at how the media (magazines in particular) influence the way we see ourselves and others. Students teamed up create their own magazine covers. Here are some examples of their designs.
Catherine Dowie
Sustainability Committee
Hello everyone!
The Sustainability Committee hopes that you had a wonderful week, and we want to share some news of our most recent work. These past two weeks we’ve continued our program of managing waste around campus with the different environmental service groups and we’ve started to implement recycling stations with a general waste, a compost and a recycling bin in most of our school events, being the most recent the Farmer’s Market that happened yesterday on the 22nd of March. So far these have been a success, however we still find some common mistakes in recycling, therefore on the 25th March the mentors will give a quick presentation about how and what to recycle for MYPs and DPs, hoping for this to change some habits and see a better improvement on the recycling system in our school. Not only that, we have started to collaborate with some parents from the community with hopes to create a better engagement with the community and our mission! Lastly, we’d like to wish everyone a very good week and to inform all interested or with questions that most of the members will be more than delighted to help out:)
Thank you all, Sustainability Committee
SAMO
The 1st round of SAMO (South African Mathematics Olympiad) has been carried out successfully. This secondary competition which has two levels, Junior for those M3 and below and Senior for those M4 and above, had 16 out of 21 participants from Moshi campus qualify for round 2. Some of our mathematicians have scored an impressive 95%! Let’s wish them the best of luck for all of them in round 2 in May!
These are two sample questions.
Zhiyi
Residential Life
Dear UWCEA Community,
We have one week of school left before the March/April break. If you have not filled out the break plans form, please complete it today. The form will be closed at 9:00 am on 23/03/2024.
Those who do not fill out the form on time will be responsible for arranging their own transportation.
This is just a reminder to all M5s—D2s to sign up now to secure your spot and experience a night filled with laughter, music, and magical moments. Don’t miss out on the chance to create lifelong memories with friends old and new—reserve your ticket for prom today!
We look forward to seeing you, it’ll be a night to remember 🙂
Le Cabaret
Friday the 15th of March, we hosted the annual Le Cabaret. An event consisting of students, teachers and community members performing art pieces, in the form of spoken poetry, song, dances and instrumental performances. Hosted by Myra, Iman and Ray. With over 20 performances and a full house of audience. The event was a roller coaster of emotions, with thoughtful, mellow and meaningful performances mixed in with happy, moving, and joyful performances. We are grateful for all the amazing performers, who gave their time to sharing their wonderful talents, and making the evening a great success, as well as the audience for showing up and giving the evening an amazing atmosphere. With the audience singing along, cheering and giving standing ovations.
The amazing performers were; Alexandros (D1), Tiago (P6), Simba Band (community members), Leon (D2) & Amador (D1), Traolach (D1), Mr Morley & Mr Ramy, Jovana (D1) & Mr Samuel, Aura (D2), Zhiyi (D1), Deogracious (D2), Cyzia (D1) & Cecilio (D2), Clara (D2), Yousra (D2), Lyra (D1) & Mr Samuel, Ray (D1) & Polina (D1), Kendwa (M5), Ashley (D2), Mr Samuel, Isa (D1), Alisa (D1) & Zhiyi (D1), Mira (M4), Chumba (M3), Cyzia (D1), Gerwin (D1) & Daniella (D1) and last but certainly not least Arsine (D2) & Balaz (D2).
We would like to thank everyone who performed, watched and helped set up, for making the evening great.
MYP News
Just like that, the end of our third quarter (known to us as our longest quarter) is days away. As everyone gets ready for a long and well-deserved break, I would like to take a moment to reflect on our MYP adventures this past quarter. So much has happened and so many small victories to celebrate. I believe it’s crucial to find joy in our small victories rather than focusing on our setbacks because there will always be setbacks… BUT the thing about small victories is that they:
Promote a growth mindset: Recognizing and celebrating small victories helps us develop a positive mindset. When we acknowledge even the smallest achievements, it trains our brains to see the good in every situation. This positive perspective boosts motivation, resilience, and confidence in our abilities.
Foster Gratitude: It teaches us to value the progress we make, the lessons we learn, and the opportunities that come our way.
Help Overcome Fear of Failure: Often, the fear of failure holds us back. However, when we shift our focus to celebrating small victories, we reframe failure as a stepping stone to success, and we learn to fail well. Each setback becomes a valuable lesson empowering us to tackle challenges.
So, as we end this quarter and get ready to start the final quarter of this year, I am proud of the tiniest and biggest accomplishments equally. I am proud of our students completing challenging tasks, reaching personal milestones, and above all, simply making progress. Success isn’t just about monumental achievements; it’s all about progress. Here’s to more progress together. I wish you a restful break.
M2’s Stand Up Comedians – The Debut The M2 Theatre group is thrilled to invite you to a special event showcasing the culmination of our recent unit on stand-up comedy in our Drama class. This is part of their summative assessment for this quarter!
The students have been exploring the world of stand-up comedy under the lens of the MYP key and related concepts such as aesthetics, change, communication, and identity. They have also explored boundaries, composition, expression, genre, and role within this form of performance.
We look forward to seeing you on Monday! Event Details:
Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm Location: Drama Room – Room 14
12 Angry Men… Well 31Angry M4s! M4 students have been exploring “12 Angry Men” in their Language and Literature class. They explored how the various perspectives in “12 Angry Men” allow us to understand the impact of individual biases on the pursuit of justice and fairness, ultimately contributing to personal and societal development. For their summative assessment, they became 12 Angry M4s while presenting a comprehensive analysis of the real-world case, incorporating insights and knowledge gained from the unit on justice, fairness, and perspective. The class was divided into the prosecution team and the defense team in the trial and have been asked to present evidence, arguments, and analysis to support their respective positions in court. The main aim being: to convince the judge and jury (myself and Mr. Erick) of their interpretation of the case based on the evidence and legal principles. The trial is taking place on Tuesday! Wish us luck!
Jazz, Blues and Some Music News! This Quarter, M1 students learned about Jazz and Blues music and as a final project for the unit, the students researched a “Jazz Legend” and put on a Living Museum for different museum visitors.
Thank you, Ms. Jamie, and M1!
The M3 Epic Science Fair- Follow Up
The people have voted! Last week’s Science fair was a huge success. Visitors voted for Fan Favorite, Most Scientific and Perfect Presentation. Drum Roll please….
Fan Favorite: Mehar
Most Scientific: Ssanyu
Perfect Presentation: Jean
Once again, great job M3!
MYP Dates to Remember:
March 27th – M5 Final French Orals
April 17th – All-day set up for PP M5 (all M5 students need to be on campus at 7:30 am).
April 18th – PPX (official invite and details coming up next week)
April 30th to May 3rd – MYP MAP Tests Round 2
May 6th to 17th – MYP e-Assessments (details and plans to follow)
May 24th- M5 Ceremony
Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
MYP Personal Project In Action
For my Personal Project I organised a volleyball league between Moshi Technical, Rafiki Foundation and UWCEA with 5 teams total. The first day of the league was hosted on UWC outdoor courts on the 3rd of February. The surprise was that the UWC B team beat the UWC A team. And by a lot!
Then last weekend the second day of the league took place at Rafiki Foundation in their two indoor volleyball courts. My design project was to create indoor volleyball poles so that we could train for this. And indeed, the training helped because the UWC A team won the tournament! So we “Ramener la coupe à la maison!”
Thank you to everyone that took part and helped make this possible. All of the teams were very eager to repeat the experience so one easy CAS project.
Malo
Sports Update
Currently we have several teams visiting campus to compete in netball, volleyball and ultimate frizbee. This is a sample of the action. More to come next week.
Please do not forget we have the PYP Swim Gala Monday the 25th and the MYP Swim Gala on Tuesday the 26th.
Holiday Bingo
The Activities Committee are organising a Holiday Bingo activity for the PYP students next Thursday. This will take place during the school day in Rafiki Hall and promises to be a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the quarter together.
P6 Class
A big congratulations to P6 for their amazing PYP Exhibition. The event marked a significant milestone in their PYP Journey, celebrating students leading their own learning and demonstrating responsible global citizenship. It reminded us that together we can make a difference, and that our actions impact the world around us.
I am immensely proud of P6’s passion, hard work, and dedication over the last 8 weeks in researching, interviewing, taking action, and finding solutions for their chosen topic. I extend my sincere thanks to everyone who helped P6 on their PYPX journey.
Here are some reflections from P6 about their PYP Exhibition:
I felt happy but also very sad because the PYPX is over. Before I started, I was nervous and excited, but I really enjoyed presenting because I felt confident and happy. Christian
I felt really good when the PYPX started. I was sad when I had to leave because I loved talking about my topic. Overall, it was really fun. When I went to bed, I could not stop thinking about it. Niko
Last night I felt so happy and a bit nervous. I felt like a blast of happiness in my body because I tried my best. When I saw the iMovie, I felt emotional because PYPX is the hardest work I have ever done, and I was successful. Zach
I enjoyed doing my PYPX presentation. Everyone said that it was good. I so very happy. Last night I was nervous, but I smiled as I spoke, and it was so much fun. Hikari
I was nervous in the beginning thinking that I wouldn’t finish in time, so I worked my hardest to get all the information I could get. Atuganile
Last night I was very excited and a little nervous sharing my knowledge with people. This morning, I was feeling relieved that it went well and also a bit sad that it was all over. Tiago
When I was sitting on the chairs waiting to start our PYPX I did not feel nervous, but when people started coming, I did. Presenting to everyone, I felt like I was really spreading the word. Alice
When I woke up this morning, I couldn’t believe I actually did it. During the PYPX, people said really nice comments to me like how confident I spoke and that they liked my boards. I really enjoyed doing it. Devraaj
Natasha Berri
P4/5 Class
This past week the children have been preparing for Student Led Conferences for this coming Wednesday. All of the P4/5 children have an adult who has signed up and they are looking forward to sharing their portfolios with you. Alice from the P6 class visited us to share her learning about child labour with the children as part of her action for her Exhibition (see photo). For our P5 students, the Exhibition is now just one year away and they are already talking about what topics they would like to investigate! In maths we have been focusing on fractions. We also completed some multiplication inspired string art which is on display on the breezeway. This was quite challenging but was very good for fine motor skills practice. The children have been learning English idioms (for example: it is raining cats and dogs) and shared idioms from their own languages. You will have the opportunity to play some idioms based pairs games at the SLCs next week. On Friday we were very pleased to enjoy a chocolate cake as our prize for winning the Book Week door decorating competition. Next week is a busy week. We have the swim gala on Monday, Student Led Conferences on Wednesday, the Swahili primary gathering on Thursday plus an end of quarter celebratory Bingo activity organised by the secondary school Activities Committee. Please remember to send your child to school with a swim kit and towel on Monday for the gala.
Deborah Mills
P2/3 Class
It was a wonderful week in P2/3. The class is excited about our newest unit- Endangered Animals! In order to set the stage for comprehension, we started by studying extinction. Ms. Mboka kindly allowed our students to come over in small groups and enjoy her class dinosaur play area! We started an art project on Friday based on Rousseau’s jungles. (See photo) Next week, we will look at animal classification during our short week. Keep an eye out for a field trip in the first week back from break to learn from a local organization committed to reforestation as a means of conserving animal habitats.
With that in mind, please do let me know if you have any ideas for this unit- trips, speakers, lessons. This unit works incredibly well in Tanzania. Children have already shared a lot of knowledge about conservation and wildlife.
As the newsletter has already mentioned, the week ahead is wonderful! Swim Gala on Monday, Tuesday (no PE Swimming due to MYP Gala), no classes but awesome Conferences on Wednesday, Primary Gathering and last day of Q3 on Thursday. Phew. Should be busy and terrific!
Kacey Buckley
EC/P1 Class
This week, the children created a little book about a pet dinosaur. They chose the dinosaur that they would like to have as a pet and added what they would feed it, where it would live, and how they would play with it. Next week, they will add one more sheet of information and then they will share the booklet with you.
We are looking forward to seeing you and your child on Wednesday for student-led conferences. The children will lead the time with you as they share their learning. Be prepared to get your hands a little bit dirty as you dig for dinosaur bones.
The swimming gala is on Monday. All the children will be participating. Some will have one race and some will have two to three races depending on their ability and age. You should have received an email letting you know the race/s of your child. As we approach the holiday season, I hope you all have a restful time.
Mboka Mwasongwe
From the Counselors
College Search Podcasts If you enjoy listening to podcasts, consider adding one or more of these into your rotation! They are led by people involved with US-based university admissions, but many of the topics covered would apply to anybody exploring their college options. You should be able to find all of these in your favorite podcast app, and I’ve included links to listen online as well.
Admissions Beat (hosted by Lee Coffin, Dean of Admissions at Dartmouth)
The Truth About College Admissions (Hosted by Rick Clark, Executive Director of Undergraduate Admission at Georgia Tech, and Brennan Barnard, the Director of College Counseling and Outreach at Khan Lab School in California)
College Admission Brief (inactive currently, but the old episodes are still great! Hosted by Rick Clark at Georgia Tech)
Two Virtual Fairs Coming Your Way We encourage you to register for and participate in the two virtual fairs that are taking place over the next week. Please see the information below and on the UWCEA Careers website calendar to ensure you are able to access the events and resources that will be provided.
It is wise to register and review the list of participating institutions well in advance in order to make the most of the event since time will be limited/late (on Sunday EAT). In addition to these fairs, there are numerous virtual events being offered all across the globe. Start connecting with institutions and participating in their programming in order to learn more about what they have to offer, and how well the institution will be able to help you achieve your post-secondary pursuits.
15 April: 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”
**Many more events are on the UWCEA Careers website and the institution websites/social media**
As we set out on the mindfulness trip on March 8th which took place at Boma Ng’ombe, south of Masama, I wasn’t entirely sure of what to expect. The idea of immersing ourselves in mindfulness practices amidst the chaos of everyday life felt exciting.
The trip began at 800 and we arrived at around 900 and started making our tents as the group from Arusha campus arrived. We had our dinner and a gentle guided meditation, allowing us to anchor ourselves in the present moment and create a sense of inner peace. As soon as the mindful introduction ended, we headed to our tents and rested.
The following day we engaged in various mindfulness practices, such as yoga and taking a walk around the camping site. Also, we went to the hot springs where we had another mindfulness activity. Each activity served as a reminder to slow down and savor the simple joys of life.
As the day drew to a close, the group felt an intense sense of renewal and energy. The mindfulness trip had provided us with the opportunity to unplug from the problems of daily life and reconnect with ourselves on a deeper level. Next day, we had our last session of mindfulness and yoga then returned back to school with a newfound sense of clarity and purpose, ready to embrace each moment with mindfulness and presence.
To sum up, the mindfulness trip was a wonderful and beautiful experience that left a lasting impression and memory to me and together with other students and staff members who were on the trip. It served as a powerful reminder of the importance of cultivating mindfulness in our lives and the profound impact it can have on our overall well-being.
Service
Continuing from the newsletter last week here is more from our service this semester at UWCEA Moshi.
Daycare Swimming
Every Wednesday our M4 and M5 Students have been teaching the UWC Daycare students how to swim. Swimming is such an important life skill; the skills being taught both as coaches and as young swimmers are extremely important for all involved. Thank you to Ms Dowie and Coach Sabini for all your patience and guidance. “
On many occasions at the start of the swimming class, there were tears and fear to get into the water, however at the end of the session, we couldn’t get the children out of the water.” M5 Student
Environmental
Environmental Service has grown in leaps and bounds under the guidance Mr Ken, Ms Jamie and Mr Russell. Every week we have compost piles aerated, vegetables planted, nurtured and watered. We have a wormery too, thanks to the guidance of Mr Mtuy. Very exciting to see the habits for sustainable living being lived out on our campus. Well done team.
