Moshi Campus News – 29 Nov 2025

As we wrap up this semester let me thank everyone who gets involved and shares their time to make our school a better place. It takes a lot of people with different passions and skills to bring everything together.

This weekend is a perfect example of different passions and skills as we have students involved in football and athletics on the sporting side, MUN on the political side and dive training on the Outdoor Pursuits side. Our PYP sharing assembly yesterday was another good example as students shared what they have been learning in languages, sports, music, science and art. Next week parents are invited to the PYP Morning of the Arts on Thursday 4th. 

Over the next week students will be wrapping up assessments for semester 1 with reports out the following week. This is our last newsletter of the calendar year. Our next one will be a short one in January before we return.

As with every semester we have families leaving our community. Please know you will be missed, and you are welcome to visit any time. To everyone else, please have a relaxing safe and fun break and we look forward to seeing you in January.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

With one week to go, we are finishing strong! We plan to publish D1 reports on 12 December and these can be downloaded from both the parent and student accounts on Learn.

When we return from the break the D2 students will go straight into their self taught orals. This gives them time, if they are travelling home, to practice in their home language. I will also be sharing the mock exam schedule with students next week. These will start on Thursday 28 January and finish on Friday 13 February. The schedule closely mirrors the final exam schedule to give students the opportunity to practice under controlled conditions.

Please see more from Diploma below.

We wish everyone a good break.

Catherine Dowie – Head of Diploma

This month, in Biology D2 class, we explored the anatomy of flowering plants through a hands-on dissection activity. We began by all going around our beautiful Moshi campus to collect our own flowers, all different in shape and colour, which made the task even more interesting. Back in the laboratory, we carefully dissected and labelled the main reproductive structures, including the petals, sepals, stigma, style, ovary, anther and filament.

This hands-on activity helped us understand how each part is connected and supports the plant’s reproductive system, which is much clearer when you can take the flower apart yourself. We also practised making scientific diagrams and worked with scalpels and tweezers, which added a technical dimension to the lesson. Although there was no particular ‘big discovery,’ the diversity of the flowers resulted in surprisingly artistic dissections and a greater appreciation for hands-on science, illustrated in the attached photographs. Those also show the class with their flowers and this experience served as a lovely reminder of how much can be learned from every little thing that surrounds us.

Wishing you all a beautiful December break,
Theodor

Over the past few weeks the D1 Theatre class has begun an exploration into unfamiliar World Theatre Traditions preparing them to take on their research presentation next semester. This research and exploration culminated in student led workshops this week, where students had to teach conventions of their tradition to their peers. The workshops were engaging, lively and well planned and executed by the students in charge.

On Wednesday, our Physics class had the remarkable opportunity to visit the KCMC Neurology Department under the guidance of our ever-enthusiastic teacher, Mr. Mateusz. As we have been studying electric fields, this trip offered us a rare first-hand experience of how these abstract concepts come to life in real medical settings. With generous support from the neurologists at KCMC, particularly Dr. Marieke and Dr. Casper, we were introduced to two fascinating diagnostic machines: the electroencephalogram (EEG) and the electromyogram (EMG).

Two of our classmates volunteered for the EMG demonstration, a procedure used to study the electrical signals in nerves and muscles. Watching Ammar’s hand twitch under the controlled electrical pulses of the EMG machine was both startling and captivating, it revealed in real time how physics enables doctors to pinpoint whether a patient’s issue lies in the nerve, the muscle, or their connection. Even more mesmerizing was the EEG demonstration. Electrodes were placed on Mr. Mateusz’s scalp to record his brain’s tiny electrical waves, which danced across the machine’s monitor in beautiful sine-wave patterns. Interestingly, the screen showed sharp alpha waves as Mr. Mateusz calmly daydreamed about his tough physics problems.

What made this trip especially meaningful was the realization that physics is much more than formulas and diagrams; it is a universal problem-solving framework. The same principles we learn in class become the foundation for engineering machines that diagnose neurological disorders, guide medical decisions, and transform patient care. Seeing such powerful applications reminded us that physics equips us with a way of thinking: to question, model, and innovate the world around us. Many of us are inspired to explore how physics can continue to solve real problems, protect our planet, and expand the scale of human consciousness even further- Bill D2

On Wednesday 19th November we had the project week fair. This was an opportunity for the D1 students to present their experiences to the school community. Project week took place in September/October and was a chance for the D1 students to experience something different that they had planned themselves.

Please have a look through this. You will find all of their presentations and links to all their products where students show what they did in a more creative way.

Dear UWCEA Community,

As we head into the break, I’ve been thinking back over this semester and all the little (and big) moments we’ve shared. In many ways, this “final” newsletter is really just a short reflection on the community we’ve been building together since August.

From the very first days of arrival and orientation, our dorms filled with new faces, nervous laughter, and far too many suitcases. We watched friendships form over cups of coffee in the common rooms, late-night chats on various porches, and those slightly awkward first advisory meetings that somehow turned into running jokes and safe spaces. Bit by bit, the houses stopped being “the dorms” and started feeling like home.

We celebrated just about everything we could this semester. Most recently, the Sports Weekend, where our students ran, jumped, and played their hearts out, not just for medals, but for each other. Win or lose, what stood out was the cheering from the sidelines, the shared water bottles, and the exhausted-but-smiling faces at the end of each day.

We also followed our Student Government journey from start to finish: the candidate fair buzzing with posters and promises, the debates where students stepped up to speak for their peers, and finally the elections themselves. Our outgoing leaders have taken their responsibility to “pass the torch” seriously, mentoring the new team and showing what it looks like to lead with care, humility, and courage.

There were lighter, wonderfully chaotic moments too: our Halloween costume party, open mic nights where students shared songs, poetry, and stories, and dorm events that reminded us that community is just as much about laughter and dancing as it is about meetings and serious conversations.

We also had a week where life slowed down a bit, and screens became less of a focus. In that time, students surprised us (and maybe themselves) with how quickly they turned to each other: rangoli competitions in the dorms, Diwali performances and dances, board games spread across common rooms, volleyball and basketball games that seemed to pop up out of nowhere, and evenings ending around a bonfire with guitars and stories. It was a powerful reminder that when things get complicated around us, we still know how to show up for one another.

At the same time, we haven’t shied away from the harder conversations. Throughout the semester, we’ve leaned into wellbeing and mental health: in Life Skills, in advisory time, in dorm meetings, and in many quiet one-on-one conversations. We’ve worked closely with counsellors and external partners to ensure that when a student is struggling, they are held by a whole team, not left to figure things out alone. The fact that students are coming forward to support friends, ask for help, and speak openly about how they’re really doing is not a sign that things are “worse”; it is a sign that our community is becoming braver and more honest.

Academically, we’ve seen students push through some very real pressure: Extended Essay marathons, revision sessions that stretched late into the evening, and that, now legendary, EE “lockdown” in Rafiki, where students camped out with laptops, snacks, and determination. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was real, and it showed just how committed our students are to their own growth and to each other’s success.

If there’s one thread that runs through all the newsletters we’ve shared this semester, it’s this: we are learning, together, what it means to live in community. Sometimes that looks like costumes and music. Sometimes it looks like difficult meetings, tough decisions, and vulnerable conversations. Sometimes it’s simply sitting on the steps with a friend at the end of a long day.

As we step into the break, my hope is that we all carry a few things with us:

• A sense of pride in how far we’ve come, individually and collectively.
• A commitment to keep talking to each other, especially when it’s hard.
• And a renewed promise that when we return, we’ll continue building a residential community where everyone feels seen, valued, and safe to be themselves.

Thank you, students, residential parents, staff, and families, for trusting each other, for showing up, and for choosing, every day, to be part of this experiment in shared living and learning. It is not always easy, but it is meaningful.

Wishing you rest, joy, and gentle moments over the break.
With Gratitude,
Adnan Mackovic – Head of Student Life

P.S. End-of-quarter assembly is this Monday, December 1. Please join us in K-Hall if you are in Moshi.

…And just like that, Semester One is coming to an end!
As we wrap up these past months, we want to pause and celebrate the dedication, resilience, creativity, and growth our MYP students have shown inside and outside the classroom. From thoughtful discussions and ambitious projects to performances, challenges, and moments of discovery, they have continued to demonstrate what it means to be engaged and reflective learners. It has been a busy and rewarding semester, and we are proud of the effort and progress shown at every level.

As the break approaches, we wish all our students and families a truly restful and well-deserved holiday. Take time to slow down, connect, make memories, and enjoy each moment together.

A gentle reminder to please consult the school calendar for future holiday dates when planning travel, and to remain mindful of the importance of regular attendance in supporting student learning and continuity.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for an exciting new semester.

M4 Community Engagement & Slam Poetry: English Language and Literature
It’s finally here! After weeks of writing, rehearsing, revising, and finding the courage to give words their full power, our M4 students are ready to take the stage for their Slam Poetry Evening. They have poured thought, emotion, and honesty into their work, and we cannot wait to share what they have created with our community. If you are in Moshi, we warmly invite you to join us and experience these powerful performances live. And if you are not able to attend in person, our social media team will be sharing snippets of the evening so you can still be part of this special moment.

M3 I&S
Our M3 students have been hard at work designing earthquake awareness leaflets, guiding the public on what to do before, during, and after an earthquake all in the name of safety and survival. As fate (and carefully planned timing) would have it, an earthquake drill struck the M3 I&S class at 8:00am on Friday, giving them the perfect live-action test run for their learning. In a moment of pure bravery (or questionable decision-making), Ms. Irene, John Paul, and Tejvir appeared ready to dramatically sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Truly unforgettable scenes. I am sure students’ leaflets will be as effective in real life as their heroic instincts were on the day!

M3: Theatre
Our M3 Theatre students stepped into character as they brought their original duologues to life on stage. Each pair created and performed a scene featuring two unique characters, carefully developed to reflect distinct personalities through physical expression, vocal variation, and meaningful interaction. From considered body language to symbolic choices and thoughtful internal monologues, the performances showed strong commitment, creativity, and a growing confidence in storytelling through drama.

MYP Dates to Remember

• December 1st- End of Semester Assembly
• December 5th – End of Q2
• December 12th – MYP Reports released
• January 13th – Q3 Begins & Classes Resume at 7:30 am

MYP Future Holiday Dates – Planning Ahead for Travel Purposes

• February 20th to 23rd – Long Weekend (Inclusive)
• March 28th to April 11th – Easter Break (Inclusive)
• June 12th – Last day of School 

Have a wonderful break,
Farah Fawaz – Head of MYP

This week M1 and M2 went to Courage Cafe to celebrate an excellent start to the year. They had ice cream and soda and enjoyed playing card games and football during their advisory period on Thursday. Well done to all of them, keep up the good work!

Thank you to everyone who came to the Sharing Assembly. We had a great turn out! I hope you enjoyed the children’s performance. It was interesting to get an idea of what is happening in the classrooms and to see a snapshot of PE, Kiswahili, science and art lessons. The children had a popsicle to celebrate their hard work – many thanks to Ms. Elisha for doing the last minute run downtown to source these!

On Thursday, 4th December, we will have the Morning of the Arts in Rafiki at 7:40am. There will be display boards of the children’s work and all of the children will have a role to play as MCs,  performers, ushers or technicians. Ms. Jamie sent each class an email on Thursday with a suggested dress code for the day. Refreshments will be provided. This will be our final gathering of this semester and we will take the opportunity to say goodbye to departing families. Everyone is welcome to attend.

On Friday, 5th December, the PYP children will visit the Daycare Centre to see their graduating class perform. Many of the children at the Daycare Centre are the children of our support staff at school and it is always lovely to join them on this day of celebration. After visiting the Daycare Centre, the PYP children will return to their classrooms. At some point during the morning they will enjoy an end of semester celebration – class teachers will write with details.

Next week children will be bringing home work packets that they can complete the following week. These will reinforce skills covered during the semester and can be returned to school the first week back after the December break. Our Parent Teacher conferences will be rescheduled for Quarter 3.

Good luck to our footballers who are travelling to SCIS today to participate in a football festival.

A reminder to contact me on deborahmills@uwcea.org if you would be happy to help with our after school club programme.

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

This week, the students spent time practicing for the PYP sharing assembly and they performed wonderfully. All of them spoke their lines well in front of a large audience. We are very proud of their achievement. This coming week, Ms. Jaime is preparing them for their morning of the arts performance.

Thank you to parents who sent in bits and bobs for our art projects. The major piece is almost completely ready for display on Thursday. They will need to give it a name and write a reflection at the beginning of the week. The picture shared is the beginning process of their creations. We look forward to you seeing their creative work.

Mboka Mwasongwe

We had a week of counting the things we are thankful for! The class loved looking at the range of Harvest Fests from around the world. It was fun to see the range of differences in customs and the similarities. I hope that keeping the Gratitude Journal was an enjoyable experience at home.

Thank you for coming out for the Sharing Gathering, our P2/3 scientists were so pleased about their presentations. We hope you’ll make it again on Thursday to the Morning of the Arts. You should have received an email about our class wearing clothes that are either green, red, blue or white as well as closed-toed shoes. These requests come from Ms. Jamie who is working hard to make that event special.

This week will be filled with good things and plenty of learning. I will be sending an email about a class celebration of the semester on Friday. It would be fun to bring in some snacks to share.

Kacey Buckley

This week was a blur of end of semester reading and maths assessments plus some rehearsals for the Sharing Gathering.  I was very pleased with the P4/5 class performance – they are doing a great job of putting expression in their voice when they read. We also worked with clay and the end product will be coming home next week. Please send a box so your child can get his/her clay creation home safely – a tea bag box, a cereal box: if you send it to school I will make it work! If you have any spare boxes they would be useful as there will be some children who won’t be able to find one at home to bring in. Next week we will get ready for the Morning of the Arts and will carry out some fun end of semester activities. On Tuesday we are hoping to decorate cakes – some children will choose to make Christmas cakes and some will make holiday cakes.  On Friday we would like to have a small class party to celebrate the end of the semester and to say goodbye to Xi Xi who will be returning to Taiwan. Please can your child bring in some snacks to share. I will provide juice.

Deborah Mills

If you’ve ever wondered what P6 students actually get up to at recess, today’s photo tells the story better than words ever could — a perfect blend of chaos, creativity and questionable balance decisions. This week has been full and lively in true P6 fashion. We’ve been practising for our Sharing Gathering, beginning to shape our big ideas for the PYP Exhibition, and even had a friendly chat about being “locked in” from now until March — purely in the academic sense, of course. No padlocks, no barred windows, just commitment, curiosity, and the occasional snack break. We’ve also talked about the upcoming PYPX Retreat, tackled math by digging into averages, and tried very hard to keep our cool as the temperatures keep rising (the ceiling fans are doing their absolute best). And when we need a boost? We dance. Because if P6 has taught us anything, it’s that a little movement makes everything better — even the heat, even the math, even the word “Exhibition.”

Elisha Jaffer

On Wednesday, the 3rd of December, UWCEA Moshi students will host their second ever Project Sharation. This event is an opportunity for our service groups and projects to present their efforts, journey, challenges, accomplishments, products, lessons learned, and everything they have so far. All service groups will be there, as well as any student projects. This gives them an opportunity to find new connections, by presenting their stories, goals and efforts. But most importantly, it is an opportunity to celebrate service, ongoing projects, and engage with the wider community. This will be an open event which starts at 3.15PM outside of K-hall. Though the linked page (QR – code) is a working document, this is where the digital program will be available.

As we enter the final weeks of Semester 1, the OP team has set off on their last expedition of the term: the Reefs Adventure to Emayani Lodge. Six students will be completing their Open Water PADI certification, while four already-qualified divers will be sharpening their skills  including fine-tuning peak buoyancy, perfecting fin technique, and participating in a Dive Against Debris.

Dive Against Debris is a PADI AWARE Foundation citizen-science initiative that empowers divers to remove marine debris and record detailed data on what they collect. This information contributes to a global database that supports conservation efforts and informs policy decisions. It’s an outstanding learning experience and a meaningful reflection of our school values – no one would have completed a litter pick quite like this!

Semester 1 has been a tremendous success, with 14 OP trips exploring all corners of Tanzania and over 200 students from both campuses taking part. The team has certainly been kept on their toes. We are still working to reschedule the postponed Fish Eagle trip, and once a new date is confirmed, we will share an update in the New Year.

Semester 2 trips are now available on Life for sign-up, and planning for the mighty Mount Meru expedition is well underway, with student selections taking place this week. A friendly reminder: please ensure parental permission is submitted on Life as soon as possible. It makes the planning process smoother than a well-worn hiking trail.

Wishing everyone a fantastic, adventure-filled December break!

The OP Team

Thank you for helping to make Sports Weekend so much cleaner this year. The sustainability committee is very proud of the progress the community has made. Though there were a few preparatory steps, including coordination with vendors via the PTA, preparation of banana leaf plates and a very cooperative group of vendors who helped to make the event greener than ever. Thank you also to the kitchen for upholding sustainable principles. Visiting schools were also crucial to ensuring such practices continue to grow.

Banana leaves were back; the efficiency of our work teams has greatly improved. Thank you to the parents who came along to help, particularly Ms. Munira who has been instrumental in collaborating with the visiting vendors. This sports weekend has all the pieces in place to minimize our impact, improving the impact of this wonderful event. Vendors went so far as to bring their own plates, relying on a deposit scheme.

There are some changes that are straightforward but take a whole community. It is important to take stock of the work our community is doing to minimize our impact and towards being an ecologically healthier space.

Meanwhile, this was a big week for the sustainability committee as they have started the process of selecting three leaders for 2026. If you are in M3 to D1 reach out and apply by responding to their email. There are some very big shoes to fill with this group, it is an exciting time for the committee.

Biodiversity in focus
While the Kilimanjaro region is in academic journals highlighting a loss of 75% of its native plant species, we are working on practical means to be part of reversing this trend. Planting over 30 trees so far this year, we aim to do more, particularly in mapping out what we have. Although the Jacarandas are beautiful this time of year, they acidify soil greatly and damage ecological cycles. Students are eager to hear from you if you are working to restore biodiversity in the region. sustainabilitymoshi@uwcea.org

William Taylor