Last night we were treated to a fabulous Evening of the Arts performance. You will see it mentioned several times below, but the two hours of performances surrounded by students’ work from visual arts classes really was special. Part of what made this the case was that both the visual art, and the performances included students from PYP through DP and 2 songs from our community choir. A special thank you to the Art, Music, Drama and English teachers that were behind the scenes making all of this possible.
Reports will be issued this week through Learn so please look for the notification from the system so you can access the reports. This is only one indication of how students are doing and there is more than just the grade present. The comments provide further information on a student’s individual progress and paths to improvement.
As we head into the break, please note that we have a whole school assembly on Monday at 10:30am and on Wednesday there are Parent Teacher conferences for the primary school.
This is our last newsletter of the year, but we will have one the week before the start of school with any last-minute information.
Lastly, no matter your plans, I hope that this break you find some time to relax, unwind and spend some time with people you care about. Have a joyous time, travel safely and we look forward to seeing everyone at the start of school on January 15th.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Upcoming
The Cultural and Campus Committee is delighted to inform you that the FINAL Cultural Night of 2023 will be happening THIS SUNDAY!
The event will occur on December 10th, at 6.45 pm (18.45) in Rafiki Hall.
Ben’s Corner
Friday’s “Evening of the Arts” was a fitting, celebratory end to the semester. It was such a privilege to see students (and some adults!) from across the school showcasing their learning in drama, music, design and visual art…what talented students we have at UWCEA!
We were treated to a fabulous evening of spoken word poetry, dancing, comic skits, animation and a plethora of incredible musical performances from multiple genres. The hall looked amazing, bedecked with art and design work from EC to D2, again, covering a multitude of media.
Learning about and through the Arts is fundamental to the development of the whole child, promoting creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and social interactions. The Arts stimulate young imaginations, challenge perceptions and develop creative and analytical skills. The hope is that exploring the Arts in context supports the development of an inquiring and empathetic world view. In this way, studying the Arts challenges and enriches personal identity and builds awareness of the aesthetic in a real-world context.
As students move to the DP, the subjects in the Arts continue to allow a high degree of adaptability to different cultural contexts and the emphasis is on creativity in the context of disciplined, practical research into the relevant genres.
Friday evening was certainly a showcase of this learning but, for many, the enduring takeaway from the evening was how much everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, both the performers and the audience.
As we move into a richly deserved break, it is important to remember why we are here. As students complete summative assessment tasks and teachers put finishing touches to reports, patience runs thin, and emotions run high. Everyone is tired. Everyone is looking forward to a rest. At times like this, take a moment to step back and look around you. Remember, a school is far more than what happens in the classrooms. Happy holidays!
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
For D2 this week the focus has been on the oral examinations. They have all taken these seriously, they have turned up on time with what they need. The teachers have been happy with what they have produced. They will moderate them and then give the students the marks. The marks will be included in the mock report along with the written mocks that take place in February.
For the Self-Taught students these are the actual examinations, the recordings will be kept and uploaded to IB in the new year. As the Self-Taught students do not have a teacher who understands their language, we encourage them to bring someone to talk to during the preparation time, it was very nice to see this happening this morning.
For D1 there has been a flurry of summative assessments as the teachers prepare the end of semester reports. Students may have had two or more assessments in a day but this is possible in the final examinations as well. Learning how to manage your time when revising is an important skill.
School continues as normal until Friday 15th December and while we understand some students have reasons to leave early, they must be aware they will miss teaching time and it is important they communicate about this. In the same way school starts on Monday 15th January with lessons happening on the first day.
Reports should be issued on Thursday 14th December.
On Friday evening we had the evening of the arts – a show case of visual art, music and theatre.
Margaret Brunt – Diploma Coordinator
Service
Last Saturday, 2nd of December, several students with the assistance of Mr Julien and Mr Josephat built a smokeless kitchen for a family living near the school. The smokeless kitchen stoves was a project that won Young Aurora several years ago.
People in poverty in Tanzania usually have no choice other than cooking over an open fire. This process, in a closed space, is harmful for their health and in the rainy season, fire is almost impossible to maintain. Therefore cooking can become troublesome. However, building smokeless kitchen stoves reduces the amount of damage that an open fire and smoke cause to human body. Moreover it uses less wood, so it is a sustainable solution for the problem.
Alisa
MYP News
… and that’s a wrap for 2023! As we come to the end of our semester, the MYP students and teachers alike can equally vouch that the grand finale for 2023 is a reflection that is both insightful and impactful. As the year wraps up, it’s a collective nod to hard work and shared success stories. Our classrooms have been buzzing with a practical celebration of learning, filled with stories that reflect genuine effort and noteworthy MYP moments. It’s been a semester of substance, where every challenge met has translated into growth, making this week’s entry a testament to the dedication and resilience of our MYP community and a wonderful way to say goodbye and thank you to 2023!
Spoken Word Poetry: M4 students took charge in their English unit, opting for a theme close to heart and explored self-expression. Through spoken word poems, they brought raw authenticity to the forefront, choosing from 10 given themes. This isn’t just a unit’s tale; it’s a lasting narrative of their genuine stories, outliving the academic boundaries and becoming a cherished chapter in our collective memory.
… and the Grammy goes to M1 and M2! The M1s put on a fun drama performance of “Cinder Really,” a spin on the classic Cinderella tale. Filled with humor and a practical application of their lessons, they challenged the usual narrative. Their take? Cinderella might not be the victim; she could be the spoiled child focused solely on herself. It’s a reminder that perspective matters. Oh, and their playful rendition of “Bibity, bubity, boo” added a nice touch to the performance.
The M2s dived into the world of drama, each choosing a genre, crafting scripts, and bringing their stories to life on stage. From romance to murder mysteries and comedies, we were treated to a spectrum of performances that showcased their hard work and dedication. It’s inspiring to see their creative efforts pay off, turning the classroom into a stage for memorable moments.
Have a beautiful holiday! Remember to turn moments into memories that count and stories to tell. Don’t forget to snap a picture every now and then! See you all very soon!
MYP Dates to Remember:
December 11th – Assembly
December 15th – Last day of Semester/ Semester 1 Reports
January 15th – First Day of Q3 – Classes Resume
January 20th – M5 Personal Project Product Due
January 30th – M5 Personal Project Criterion B Due
February 20th – M5 Personal Project Criterion C Due
Farah Fawaz – MYP Coordinator
PYP News
Thank you to everyone who attended the Evening of the Arts and supported the PYP children’s performances. The P2/3 class played instruments, the P4/5 class sang and performed a song, the Primary Choir sang for us and some of the P6 children were the MCs. Many thank to everyone involved but especially to Ms. Jamie for working so hard to ensure that the PYP children were included in this wonderful event.
Please note that there are no after school clubs next week. The children should go home after classes finish. If your child eats lunch in the dining hall they should be collected promptly at 2 o’clock. On Tuesday there will be no lunchtime playground supervision provided so (the) any children remaining on campus for lunch should go to the library after they have eaten their dining hall lunch and wait there until 2pm.
There is a whole school assembly on Monday at 10:30 where there will be a slide show of learner profile attributes of the PYP students this semester.
On Monday the end of semester reports will be accessible on Learn. On Wednesday we will have our Parent Teacher conferences to discuss the children’s general progress and the end of semester report. Please be sure to read the report prior to attending the conference and print it as needed because there will not be a paper copy available at the conference. Please sign up for a conference on Meet the Teacher if you have not already done so – the sign ups will close on Monday evening. The children do not attend this conference and there are no classes on this day.
On Friday, we will have a final primary gathering of the Semester, led by Ben Morley. This will take place at 7:40am in Rafiki Hall. You are warmly invited to attend.
Thank you for all of the support you have given to the PYP staff this semester. We wish you a relaxing break and look forward to seeing the children back at school at 7:30am on Monday, 15th January.
Deborah Mills – PYP Coordinator
EC/P1 Class
The semester is almost over and we are finishing well.
The picture shared is a celebration of the children’s work. Their robots were shown at the Evening of the Arts.
Thank you to all who signed up for the conferences this coming week. If you have not done so, please do. The children have learned so much and we would like to share this with you.
I hope you all have a restful break and great seasonal celebrations. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all who celebrate these holidays. We hope to see you in the coming new year where we will be welcoming some new students and a visitor later on in quarter 3.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
We had a whirlwind of activity in class this week. We mixed looking at more rituals and traditions from around the world with our first look at artefacts. The children were fascinated by Ancient Egypt and loved writing their names in hieroglyphics. We looked at the style of art and created our very own self-portraits. These were on display for the Evening of the Arts and the children were so proud.
As noted before, there will be no clubs next week. However, there will still be plenty of learning! We are combining our work on subtraction with a consideration of addition/subtraction fact families. We will continue to look at traditions from different countries. If you would be interested in coming to class to share about your family’s traditions, please let me know!
I hope to see many of you on Wednesday for the conferences. (Don’t forget, no classes that day!) If you are unable to make it, please let me know if you have any questions concerning the semester reports. It has been a wonderful semester with P 2/3.
Kacey Buckley
P4/5 Class
Congratulations to P4/5 for their dance performance at the Evening of the Arts and thank you to Ms. Jamie for co-ordinating this activity. We have had an action packed week. Last Tuesday, Nicolette (Mama Luana) visited us and taught the children how to make compost. It was so much fun and everyone loved holding the worms – thank you, Nicolette. Many thanks also to Simon Mtuy for hosting a wonderful visit to his farm in Mweka last Wednesday. It was such a great learning experience. The children came back with so much new information about how to keep track of the temperature and rainfall, how to make natural pesticides from herbs, how to use ash to repel beetles, how to use worm tea and rabbit waste to make fertilisers and compost. They had a superb time. Looking to the week ahead, on Monday and Tuesday we plan to make crafts and cakes. Wednesday is the Parent Teacher conference to discuss general progress and the end of Semester report. On Thursday, 14th December we will be going on a trip to the van Aarst veggie patch at TPC – letters and permission slips were sent home on Friday and should be returned to school early next week. Please note that the children will return to campus at 3pm on Thursday. On Friday, we will end the semester with a small celebration – you are welcome to send in some food to share.
2 dates to note for next Semester with more details to follow in January:
Wednesday 24th January – Trip to TPC to learn about sugar production
Thursday 25th – Friday 26th January – overnight camp at Kahawa Shamba to learn about coffee production.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
Meet our little friends! This week, P6 teamed up with EC/P1 for buddies. Buddies provide a great opportunity for our oldest students in the PYP to become mentors and positive role models for the youngest students in our school. P6 loved getting to know them.
Here is what they thought:
We found out that our buddies really enjoyed playing with us. We enjoyed pushing them on the skateboards because they were smiling when we were racing. Zach & Hikari
Even though we only became buddies this week, it feels like we have known them forever. Atu & Alice
We really enjoyed getting to know our buddies. We found out that we are very patient with little kids! They told us that they were really happy to be our special friends. Tiago & Devraaj
We loved meeting our buddies this week. We enjoyed talking about their favourite sports and colours. We had a lot of fun pushing them in the go-carts. Christian & Niko
I hope you enjoyed the Evening of the Arts. Thank you to Alice, Atu, and Tiago who served as excellent comperes for the night. A big congratulations also to Alice, Atu, Christian, Devraaj, Niko, and Zach, for their great sportsmanship at the NTSAA football meet last weekend.
As this is our last update for this semester, I would like to wish you a safe and restful holiday break. Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you again when school returns in the new year.
