Moshi Campus News – 3 Oct 2026

With so many of our M1 to D1 students away on Week-without-Walls and Project Week the campus had a different vibe. But yesterday things started returning to normal as the M1 to M5 students returned and some D1. We expect the rest of the D1 students back today, but with only 3 days next week it will be a short return to normal. From what I have seen the trips were successful at all levels and we will share more in future newsletters.

Even with the short week we have an assembly on Monday, PYP conferences on Tuesday and on Wednesday there is PYP picnic as well as an outdoor pursuits trip to Kili.

This is our last newsletter until the end of the break so let me wish everyone a happy, safe and restful break and we look forward to everyone returning on October 19th ready to tackle the second half of the semester.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

We have a couple of projects that are either starting now or will be starting very soon.

Recently we had the floor in K-hall redone and now we will be upgrading the outdoor courts area. This project will include repairs to any cracks as well as putting a new surface on the courts. This project, and a similar one in Arusha, is planned to be completed by the same company that did our indoor court. Our hope is to get the project started in the break so that there is minimal impact on school use. Please note,this means the courts will be closed in the break.

The second project that has already started is the construction of the newest residential house. This is a longer-term project that will take most of the school year and will allow us to move away from the rented residential houseclose to but not on campus, that we have used for the last few years. We are at the initial stages of land preparation plan to have the foundationsin by the end of October or start of November. In a future newsletter we will share artistic renderings of the plan.

Dear UWCEA Community,

Somehow, we’ve arrived at the end of Quarter 1. I’m not entirely sure where the weeks went, but I suspect a good number of them were spent answering knocks on duty doors, and most certainly approving passes and checking people in.

Before anything else, I want to say thank you to all of our staff. You walked our new students through their first days on campus, when everything is unfamiliar. You helped our returning students settle into another year: new faces, new rhythms, and, for our D2s in particular, the “gentle” arrival of IB deadlines (gentle in the way a rising tide is gentle). Through all of it, you were there to lift them up, celebrate them, support them, and, when needed, hold them accountable. That last one is rarely thanked, and it should be. Thank you.

We marked UWC Day around this year’s theme: People, Planet, Peace. The Student Government organised a screening of a documentary examining our impact on the environment, staff held small group discussions, and some of our students shared their own life experiences in relation to the theme. It was a reminder of why we do this, and of how much our students carry with them when they arrive here.

In Kiota, duty staff hosted a Master Chef competition. Students made a range of desserts, which were then judged by a panel of “professional dessert connoisseurs,” more commonly known as their teachers. I’m told the judging was rigorous and the scoring generous, which is roughly how we’d like the IB to work.

Meanwhile, our Kichala students headed out to Jackfruit, a nearby restaurant, and later on, made their own cooking attempts. It’s still unclear whether the students or the teachers enjoyed it more. I have my suspicions.

The Student Government closed out the quarter with a Murder Mystery night in K-Hall. Quite a few students turned up, and the evening was a real success, with no actual casualties, which is always the goal. Thank you, Student Gov crew, for continually thinking about how to make campus life richer for everyone.

Finally, our D2s had their catch-up week, and by all accounts they “locked in.” A great deal got done, CAS in particular, and I suspect a few supervisors are breathing a little easier this weekend.

Our D1s and MYPs return from Project Week and Week Without Walls this weekend. We’re looking forward to welcoming them back and hearing all their stories, including, no doubt, a few that will be told very differently by the students and the staff who were there.

Finally, join us next week on Monday at 10:30 am in K-Hall for our end-of-quarter assembly.

Have a restful break, everyone. You’ve earned it.
Adnan Mackovic – Head of Student Life

Catch Up Week was a long-awaited opportunity for us D2s to get through the mountain of work we have accumulated. My friends and I have been averaging 8+ hours a day of “locking in” so of course there is just one thing we need: COFFEE!

Luckily for us, Mr. James hosted a coffee appreciation activity on Wednesday and Friday morning where we got to try different coffee beans, roasts, and preparations (sponsored by SsoH Coffee).

A slew of tired D2s gathered in Mr. James’ room to sip on over 15 types of coffee- each one uniquely prepared- and anyone who walked by the room can attest to the grins which grew bigger on our face after each sip. Something I loved about this is not only the coffee itself, but the opportunity it gave us to connect with each other over a global drink that has cultural niches. We shared memories, laughs, and love over a drink that gives people reason for coming together.

Thanks again to SsoH Coffee for sponsoring the event, Mr. James for organizing it, and Mrs. E for running a lovely Catch Up Week.

Over and out!
Freja

What a week it has been! Our MYP students are now safely back from Week Without Walls, hopefully a little tired, probably in need of a good sleep, but with plenty of stories and memories to bring home with them.

Across the different grade levels, students have spent the week learning well beyond the classroom. They have explored new places, taken on challenges, worked together, tried things that may have pushed them outside their comfort zones, and shared experiences with classmates and teachers that are very different from an ordinary school week.

There were long walks, new skills, performances, swimming, cooking, conversations, laughter, moments of frustration, moments of achievement and, judging by the photos we have received, a great deal of fun along the way!

We have shared updates and photographs throughout the week, but those only tell a small part of the story. Please talk to your children and ask them about their experience. Ask them what surprised them, what challenged them, what made them laugh, what they learned about the people around them and what they are most proud of. Some of the best parts of Week Without Walls are often the little stories that never make it into an update or a photograph.

A very big thank you must go to all the teachers and staff who accompanied our students. Week Without Walls asks a great deal of them. They leave behind their own routines and families, take responsibility for our students around the clock, manage logistics, activities, meals, tents, travel and all the unexpected things that inevitably come with taking groups of young people away for a week! Their patience, energy, flexibility and care are what make experiences like this possible, and we are incredibly grateful to them.

And with that, we have reached October Break! After such a full few weeks of school, we hope everyone enjoys some well-deserved rest, time with family and friends, and a chance to slow down before we begin again.

Have a wonderful and restful October Break. We look forward to seeing everyone back refreshed and ready for what comes next!

MYP Dates to Remember

• October 4th – End of Q1 Assembly
• October 7th – Last Day of Q1
• October 8th to 18th – October Break (Inclusive)
• October 19th – First Day of Q2

Have a beautiful week ahead!
Farah Fawaz – Head of MYP

The U-13 Boys and Girls Football teams had a successful tournament at St. Constantine;s International School (Arusha) over the weekend, improving noticeably on their performances in the initial U-13 invitational tournament in Moshi on September 12th. The boys tied for 3rd place, while the girls finished in 2nd, despite each squad being one of the youngest teams in their respective competitions. While the U-13 teams will continue training during the rest of the first semester, and will play the occasional friendly match, this represented their last formal competition. Great job, U-13 squads!

On Saturday, September 19th, the U19 Ladies and Gentlemen had a successful trip to UWCEA-Arusha to play in their first invitational tournament of the year. The U-19 Ladies finished in 2nd place, while the U-19 Gentlemen took top honors. The next games for each team will be when UWCEA-Moshi host a U-19 invitational tournament on Saturday, October 24th. Great job, U-19 teams!

Thank you to everyone who came to the P3/4 Primary Gathering. It was lovely to see the children confidently performing onstage.

The P4-6 children have taken their online MAP Growth assessments. The results of these will be shared on Life when we return to school after the break, as some children have not yet completed their assessments.

Last Tuesday, 16 children attended a swim gala at Kennedy House. It was a lovely day that saw some swimmers experience their first formal swim meet and others claim new personal bests. Well done to everyone who took part. There is another swim meet on 30th October at SCIS. Invitations will be issued through Life. We will not be taking our beginner swimmers to this event, as it is a long way to travel for younger children who would only compete in one or two races.

Traditionally, the primary school has held a Halloween celebration at the end of October, but this year we plan to try something different – a new kind of celebration without a Halloween focus. A Google Form has been shared with parents to gauge interest in this. Please fill this form in before Monday. Teachers will meet early next week and then I will have information to share with you regarding date and format. Our new “festival” will still include candy (sweets), so please keep your eyes open for wrapped candy over the break. It is not always easy to find a good selection in Moshi, so buy it where you can!

PYP afternoon clubs have ended for the quarter – there will be none next week. Please email me on deborahmills@uwcea.org if you are interested in offering a club for the primary children. Quarter 2 clubs should start on Monday, 26th October. The sign up will open after the break.

Next week is a three-day week, but there is plenty happening:

Monday is a school spirit day. The theme is “wear your favourite outfit.” There is an end of quarter assembly at 10:30am. Some of the older primary classes will attend the assembly, but the younger ones will not, as there is no particular primary focus on this occasion.

Tuesday – goal setting conferences between child, parents and teacher. There will be no classes on this day.

Wednesday – house challenge (constructing a vehicle to travel down a zipline). Thank you Ms. Elisha, for coordinating this event. The children should wear their house shirts on this day.

After break, we will attend a friendship picnic organised by the P3/4 class. The children are invited to bring a plate of food to share which will be put on a central table:

• EC – fruit or veggies
• P1/2 – cupcakes, muffins or sweet foods.
• P3/4 – drinks
• P5/6 – savoury foods.

If you would like to send in a traditional dish, instead of following the above guidelines, that would be very welcome.

Classes will finish on Wednesday at the normal time. We look forward to seeing the children back in school on Monday, 19th October. On behalf of the primary team, thank you for your support this quarter. We wish you all a relaxing break.

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

A Week of Learning, Healthy Choices & Family Contributions

This week, our young learners were delighted to welcome two special visitors to their classroom: Mr. Tanwir, Rafan’s dad, and Dr. Daniella, Ezra’s mom. Their contributions beautifully supported the Who We Are unit and enriched the children’s learning experiences.

Mr. Tanwir read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and led a discussion about the importance of making healthy food choices. Our curious minds enjoyed exploring different foods and thinking about how the choices we make can help keep our bodies healthy.

Dr. Daniella facilitated an engaging, hands-on session about the importance of washing hands, how germs can spread, and when it is important to wash our hands.  The little explorers enjoyed learning about germs and discovering how good handwashing habits can help keep us healthy.

The children thoroughly enjoyed having their parents join them and share their knowledge and experiences. These meaningful contributions helped our young learners connect classroom learning with real-life experiences.

In addition, we celebrated Pajama Day, when our little friends came to school in their favorite pajamas. We explored bedtime routines and healthy habits, including brushing our teeth and reading a bedtime story. The children also enjoyed watching a short movie and making delicious popcorn together, creating a cozy and joyful experience.

It was a wonderful week filled with learning, laughter, family connections, curiosity, and joyful experiences! Our young explorers certainly had a blast!

Manal El Dahwish

We had a busy week of completing activities ready for the October break. There will be no home learning sent during the last week of school, as we will be putting in new items such as the reading response tictactoe sheets.

As a class, we have begun to explore our new unit and think of ways to tackle our research. We are fortunate to have Dr. Daniella come and help us answer some of our questions. The class prepared 13 questions to ask her. Next quarter, she will join us in class and help us answer these questions. Thank you, Mama Tilly, and we are so looking forward to time spent with you.

Thank you to everyone who signed up for the goal-setting conferences on Tuesday and filled in the goal-setting sheets. If you haven’t done so already, please send in the sheets on Monday so we can prepare for Tuesday.

I hope you all have a restful break. Next quarter should be full of as many adventures as we have had this quarter.

Mboka Mwasongwe

This week has been a busy and reflective one in P3/4. Our P4 students completed their MAP tests, approaching them with focus and perseverance. We were also very proud of our swimmers who travelled to Kennedy House and demonstrated wonderful persistence and resilience throughout the event.

Back in the classroom, we have been taking time to reflect on the quarter, thinking about what we have learned, what we are proud of and where we would like to continue growing. Students have completed their Unit of Inquiry reflections and have begun setting personal learning goals for the next quarter.

We have also started thinking about our new topic of human migration and the ways in which people moving from one place to another can shape communities. We would love to hear from any families who may have an interesting migration story or experience they would be happy to share with the class.

Sarah Vrontamitis

This week, our schedule was a little disjointed due to the MAP assessments, but we still found time to make a start on our new unit of inquiry: Organisations help protect people’s rights and encourage responsible action. Our early activities have shown that the children already have a good understanding of human rights, partly thanks to a rap they have been working on with Mr. Samuel. They are less familiar with what organisations are and the role they can play in protecting people’s rights, so this will be a focus for us after the break. In maths, we are continuing to work on strategies for addition and subtraction. One very nice thing this week was the start of our “service” with the Daycare Centre. Next quarter, on Fridays, half of the P5 class will visit the student kitchen to cook with Ms. Miriam and half will read books with the Daycare students and help them to practice their English. I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday for the goal-setting conferences.

Deborah Mills

MAP tests, maths assessments, summative assessments, paintings, swimming competitions and birthdays—it has been busy, busy, busy! The students have worked hard to finish the quarter strongly, while somehow still finding plenty of time for general P6 chaos.

Our family stories and summative projects are nearly complete, and the paintings are coming along beautifully. We are looking forward to sharing the finished work with you soon.

A very happy birthday to Noah, and a slightly belated—but no less enthusiastic—happy birthday to Kenaelle! With the end of the quarter almost here, I think we are all ready for a well-earned break.

Elisha Jaffer