Moshi Campus News – 16 Jan 2021

Moshi Campus News – 16 January 2021

Contents

COVID-19 Screening Reminder

24-Hour Run Postponement

New UWCEA Shirts and More

Ben’s Corner

Introductions

Diploma News

Residential Life

MYP News

From the Counselor

Sports Update

Outdooor Pursuits

PYP News

EC/P1 Class

P2/3 Class

P4 Class

P5 Class

P6 Class

Moving Forward Safely

It has been lovely to return to campus and settle back into routines. It has also been great to welcome in some new people to our community.

I would like to take this opportunity to draw attention to the rising COVID issues around the world and to remind the community of our self-check procedures before coming to school (see below).  You may also see us reinforcing with people the need to wash hands regularly. Please be sure to wash your hands at the handwashing stations as you enter the campus. We will continue to work to keep our public use spaces cleaned regularly through the day.

You may also note that this has impacted a few activities on campus as we move forward.  One is that we have postponed the 24-Hour Run until we have a greater confidence in the situation.  Some activities, like the Farmers’ Market will continue as it has a smaller density of people, but we recommend people take personal precautions when attending.

Please be aware that we have many items on the calendar and we will be continually evaluating the current situation and if the event will go forward as planned.  I apologize if this means a level of uncertainty in planning, but it sems prudent to play it safer.

If at any point you have questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

COVID-19 Screening Reminder

As around the world cases of COVID have been increasing, we would like to remind everyone to self screen before coming to school each day.  Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Do you have a fever (over 38C) or the chills?
  2. Do you have the following symptoms: dry cough, respiratory distress or shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell?
  3. Have you had recent close contact with a suspected or known COVID-19 patient or spent longer than 10 minutes within 1.5m of someone who was sick with a fever and cough?

If you answer yes to any of these, please stay home to monitor the situation for the day.  If symptoms continue, please inform us and consider seeking medical advice.

24-Hour Run Postponement

After much consideration, the committee has decided that the 24-Hour Run 2021 should be postponed tentatively to the first weekend of March. With the current increased concerns regarding COVID, postponing the multi-campus community event seemed prudent.  Right now, we are hopeful that we will have the run starting on Friday March 5th at 2pm. Please continue fundraising and planning in your teams. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

New UWCEA Shirts and More

New UWCEA merchandise is now available! Please visit the Advancement Office on our Moshi campus to purchase these items or any other school merchandise.

Ben’s Corner

I hope you enjoyed a safe and restful break after what was, there is no denying, quite an “eventful” year! For our D2 students in particular, I trust that you used your time productively but also found moments to relax and sleep! Good luck with all that is to come over this semester and, at a time when everyone is full of words of wisdom or advice, be sure you do all that you can to ensure your results are a true reflection of your abilities.

Since March, we, like many people across the world, have faced what felt like one endless and incredibly complex problem after another. At the moment, it seems like the only certain thing is uncertainty itself. With this in mind, I want to draw your attention to the findings of a recent report published by McKinsey and Company on problem solving during unpredictable times.

Most successful problem solving incorporates a great deal of trial and error. In this way, we learn to tolerate and, even, embrace ambiguity. Another trait of problem solvers is the ability to see the bigger picture, the “balcony” or “dragonfly-eye” view. When faced with a challenge, the ability to step back and consider the situation from a 360 degree perspective can be very revealing. The idea is that this allows someone to see potential challenges and, more poignantly, solutions from beyond the periphery of their vision.

One thing that the past months have highlighted is the power of the collective over the individual and this sentiment is reiterated in the findings of the report. It makes sense that putting heads together leads to more sustainable and effective solutions or, to quote Conn and McLean, the co-authors of the report, harnesses “the wisdom of the crowd.” An ironic turn of phrase in these times of social distancing. As part of the Moshi community and the wider UWC Movement, we are fortunate to be able to draw on diverse experiences and expertise and access a very wide circle of information.

No doubt 2021 will also throw problems at us. However, if we continue to take advantage of our collective expertise, if we remember that we share a common goal (the learning and wellbeing of our community) and if we utilise the mutually reinforcing nature of these problem solving approaches, I think we will be just fine.

With that, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and offer a particularly heartfelt “Karibu” to everyone who is new to our UWCEA community. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to be proud of.

Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus

Introductions

Simon Johnston – Head of Residential Life

Katho Wanjau – Head of Learning Support

Kerry-Lyn Brown – Physics and Math

Diploma News

It has been lovely to see the students back on campus after the Christmas break. We are still waiting for a few to arrive and anyone who arrives from outside of Tanzania, including day students will need to self-isolate for a few days before attending class. It was also good to see some of the parents at the “coffee zoom” yesterday and I hope to see more of you next time.

For D2 students the focus at the moment is preparation for the mock examinations. These start on Tuesday 26th January but we have an information session on Monday 25th, the timetable can be found here. The mock examinations are a chance for students and teachers to check what they know and for students to be aware of the procedures for examinations. They are used to predict grades but are only one part of the decision. We do not know at the moment if the May examinations will take place but we have recently informed IB that we are open and at the moment we will be able to host the written examinations. We will keep students and parents updated on this.

This week we have also started planning graduation. This will be a combined ceremony with Arusha campus and will take place on Saturday 22nd May. We will also have a celebration on campus. When we have more details, we will let you know.

For D1 it is back to work as normal. Hopefully students have had a chance to reflect on their reports and some will come back with an improved attitude. Today some of them have gone off on the OP trip to South Pare.

Margaret Brunt – DP Coordinator

Residential Life

Kia Ora / Habari

My name is Simon Johnston, and I am the new Head of Residential Life at the beautiful UWCEA, Moshi. My family and I arrived here on the 28th of December and have been slowly adjusting to this new life, temperature, and culture. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet  ‘almost’ all of our wonderful boarders who have arrived safely in a difficult and problematic climate. I know there are still many students’ abroad and I cannot wait to meet them soon.

New procedures to be aware of:

Please note that as of Monday 18 January, we have been approved to trial a new Boardingware software. You will be invited by your child to join this software and manage their leave request on Sunday evening onwards. Whether it be town, woodlands, worships, sports trips, or weekend sleep overs – You can manage each request through an app on your phone or on your computer. Essentially, this will allow you to immediately approve or decline their leave and we will not act without this or without your previous parental consent forms. This system should improve communication and connection with us as staff, who are entrusted with the care of your child. As usual, the same restrictions and time for leave applies to the set year groups. Watch this space… and keep in touch.

Simon Johnston – Head of Residential Life

Farmers’ Market

MYP News

Welcome back to school and welcome 2021!  I want to thank all the MYP teachers, students and parents for a great first term. 2020 was not an easy year, nor will it be soon forgotten, but we made it through, and we did it well.  As we look forward to what may well be another interesting year, we need to help each other and put kindness first in all that we do. Each day, as we interact with one another, remember that we are all dealing with different issues in our lives and should offer support and assistance rather than judgment.

The start of the term is a great time to reflect on habits that support your achievements and alter those that deter the kind of success you wish to achieve.  A few simple suggestions to help your student achieve their potential would be to get a good night’s sleep, reduce phone and computer usage close to bedtime and get organized for the following day prior to sleep.  These simple procedures truly make a difference.  In addition, ask to see your student’s planner/diary to make sure they are writing down assignments and help them strategize how to use their time efficiently and plan a timeline for longer term projects. I am encouraging the students to take a few moments each morning to write down the name of every class they have that day and then enter the assignments as they are given, if there aren’t any they can write “no homework.” This organization technique helps them prepare each morning for the coming day and get themselves mentally ready for the classes of the day. You can do this with them the evening before, it helps jog their memory if they have forgotten something or need to remember to pack something for the coming day.

Next week MYP success skills will begin again.  On Mondays and Thursdays after school for one hour in the drama room we will work on improving our academic skills and strategies as well as get support on schoolwork. It is open to all MYP students. We are going to be looking at “The 7 Habits of a Highly Successful Teen” and discussing “Atomic Habits.”

Jeane Aman – MYP Coordinator

From the Counselor

Deadlines!!

We have only just begun this new year, and we are back to business as usual (with some extra handwashing as we go). Our students are learning to navigate their way through the school routine again, and doing so with caution and care in response to the realities that the world continues to bring our way. It is great to see so many smiling faces amid all that is happening around us, and looking forward to students making the most of the amazing opportunities and freedoms that they are experiencing on our campuses.

With any new year, it is a great time to think about what lies ahead, and to plan accordingly. Setting personal deadlines to complete tasks is essential to practicing self-management, which will lead to success in many aspects of life. In this recent article the importance of developing three important skills is highlighted: accountability;  initiative; and organization. These are mirrored in our IB Learner Profile, and can be learned at a very young age, while reinforced throughout the educational experience. The earlier we introduce and then continually teach these skills, the more prepared our students will be for the world that awaits them upon their ascension into adulthood.

These skills were on full display during the hectic break for some of our college/university applicants. There have been major deadlines for applications since 1 January, and many students have been rushing to meet them, some at the last minute. It is so essential that the application process be a well thought out and planned event, and we strongly encourage parents to play an active role in this process. As the application process begins to wind down for many of our D2 students with another major deadline on 15 January, it is time to start actively planning for our D1 students. Please take a moment to review some of the upcoming events on this link, and continue to explore the information that institutions are making abundantly available via their websites and social media. Ms. Kate Swope (Arusha) and Ms. Cassandra Ford (Moshi) will begin meeting with students to formulate and finalize their Post-Secondary plans throughout the semester, and parents will be invited to participate later this year. We encourage you to engage in conversations about your child’s plan, and ask them about the information they are receiving in the Friday Counselor Check-in emails.

Take care and enjoy this the new year,

UWCEA School Counseling Team

Sports Update

Happy New Year UWCEA Moshi Leopards.  It is great to be back into the swing of things with most students now back on campus and gearing up for another semester of active, outdoor living. I must admit I feel very privileged to be able to say that looking at how friends and family are living in other countries. If all continues as is planned (which is never assured in the current global climate) our U13, U11 and U9 students should be able to be involved in a mini tournament with Kennedy House and UWECA Arusha Campus in Soccer and a swim meet this quarter. Kennedy House have offered to have tournaments with us without other schools.  And the U15 and U19 will be competing with UWCEA Campus in basketball and maybe a bit of touch rugby and Ultimate Frisbee.

We also have a new sports timetable for this quarter.

Tennis with Coach Charles
Coach Charles continues to offer private and/or group lessons Wednesdays at 3:30pm to 4:30pm and Saturdays from 9.30am to 11.30am. Please contact Coach Charles at the courts at the above-mentioned times or call/message on 0710606766. 

PYP Saturday Soccer
Saturday Soccer with Mr T and several of our skilled M5, D1 & D2 students starts up again this weekend.  It kicks off at 9am and finishes at 10.30am just in time for the PYP swim squad to get their laps in.

Go Leopards
Robin Marsh

Outdooor Pursuits

Our OP for semester 2 starts this Saturday as many of our secondary students head up the South Pare Mountains for the first hiking OP trip of the semester.

As you can see, we have a busy semester again, particularly considering some months will be rain affected. Sign ups have now closed for the semester, please email me if you/your child has missed out and I will see if there are any available spots on trips.

Community Activities

PYP News

Happy New Year to you all! We hope that you had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season.

We are excited to be back and to continue the year with semester 2.

Welcome to all the new families who have joined this week and for those who will be joining us in the coming few weeks. You will receive or have already received introductory information from the relevant class teachers.

In keeping with the school policy for Covid-prevention, please read the guidelines at the start of this newsletter regarding keeping our community safe.

The club sign up link has been sent out to you already. Make sure that you have signed up your child for their club choices. Clubs begin on Monday the 18th. Children who are not staying for a club should leave at the end of the school day as there will be no supervision for them.

Mboka Mwasongwe & Deborah Mills – PYP Coordinators

EC/P1 Class

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope you all had a restful holiday season and are ready for semester 2.

We welcomed Blair and Elijah this week. We have enjoyed having them with us and are looking forward to learning more about them in the course of the quarter.

This coming quarter, our unit will be based on how the world works. Our central idea is: People change natural materials for different purposes.

Our lines of inquiry are:

  • Materials and where they come from
  • Characteristics and properties of materials
  • The use of different materials

We will begin by exploring water as a natural material. Where does water come from? What does it feel like? How do we use it? On Monday, I will be sending a home learning activity which will involve water and a lot of pots and pans. New readers will also be sent on Monday. Look out for emails as home learning for some P1s will change this quarter.

Things to Remember:

  • Hats
  • Water Bottles
  • Healthy Snack
  • Sturdy shoes for outdoor play
  • Indoor shoes – Flip flops/Crocs
  • Change of clothes for EC
  • Label everything, especially swimming gear

Mboka Mwasongwe

P2/3 Class

This week the students in P2/3 have been exploring different genres of books. They were introduced to different genres they can read, but delved in depth into mysteries and folk tales. The students have explored adjectives, and thought of the different ways they can describe their peers. Using adjectives in our writing will hopefully allow students to add detail into the stories they will be writing.

On Monday, we had the opportunity to celebrate Ezra’s birthday, albeit a little belatedly. Happy 7th birthday Ezra!

Elisha Jaffer

P4 Class

It was a wonderful start to Semester 2! Though we are still missing a few students, we happily welcomed Colin to the class. We had a lot of fun considering the different ways that New Year’s is celebrated around the world. Our study culminated on Friday with a visit from Baba Greener who told us more about Chinese New Year and even brought delicious dumplings! Next Thursday we look forward to a lesson on Diwali.

This week we will turn our focus to artifacts and to rituals. With that in mind, if you have any cultural artifacts that your child could bring to class, could you send them in on Monday? We’re not looking for priceless treasures but we do want to experience looking at artifacts and considering their cultural significance.

A few reminders: all students are expected to have a hat, water bottle and indoor shoes daily. Monday is our Swim PE day. If a child is unable to swim, please send a note or an email with an explanation. Wednesday is PE and students should wear appropriate shoes. Friday is Library Day. Please send in books to return and a library bag. This is also the day for turning in the week’s Home Learning.

Kacey Buckley

P5 Class

Happy New Year and welcome back to a new semester. Three new students joined us this week (Amelia, Akil and Solomon) so it has been a week of getting to know each other and settling into routines. In maths the children looked at tessellation and reflective symmetry and in art they made a symmetrical origami design. In maths next week we look at the properties of quadrilaterals and transform shapes using scale and ratio. The children  have all identified a body system to research as part of our unit of inquiry, “Body systems are interconnected to support life,” and next week we will start planning a model to support this research. Please remember to send in hats, water bottles, home learning folders and reading books every day. After school clubs will start on Monday. You should have received an email with a link for signing up for clubs – please talk to your child and sign him/her up as soon as possible.

Deborah Mills

P6 Class

It was a fantastic week back for the P6 class. We had fun sharing stories about the holiday break, and took time to write letters of gratitude for something someone did for us during the time away. This week everyone chose their inventor that they are going to study and prepare a presentation to share on the 2nd of February. We learned about different inventors through time and what inspired them to create something new to help others live a better life. Partners also continued exploring their ancient civilizations and what made them unique. They have chosen a variety of ways to express their learning with this topic, with some making games, and others making posters, models or travel brochures. They are practicing the art of taking notes with both these research opportunities.

Our PYPx retreat is coming soon, and thank you to all of those that returned their permission slip. We will be going to Wildtrack Tengeru in Usa River on the 28th – 29th of January for an overnight to begin discussion about their exhibition. I will send home a packing list this week. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sarah Brummel