It is hard to believe but we are almost into June. Just 3 weeks left in the school year with lots to do in the different age groups. At PYP, many of the classes are working through their last unit and have trips planned now that the rains are ending. Around this they have swimming, the production and a sports day. The M5 students have just finished their exams and are in their last week as they prepare to become diploma students and will be joined by the incoming NC students. The D1 students are the first back starting their orientation on August 4th. The M4 students will have their first taste of full year exams in preparation for the future and then all the MYP students are involved in focus projects and a sports day. The D1 students also have exams this week before starting on the science internal assessments, extended essay and Theory of Knowledge Exhibition. And, as I write this we have a large group of secondary students on the Arusha campus participating in a mix of sports to relax, have fun and share time together.
This past week we had a few treats. The P6 students wowed us all with their PYP Exhibition, showing us the breadth of their interest and depth of their understanding. Congratulations to all the P6, Ms. Sarah, Ms. Catherine and Ms. Alannah on this success.
We have also had an amazing book week with activities at all levels of the school. More information about the events below. Thank you to Ms. Julia and all those that made it happen.
As you can see, we have a few events still upcoming, and Friday in particular has 4 events on campus.
I look forward to seeing you at these different events.
Bob Cofer
Upcoming Events
Are you ready?
Don’t forget about the production on June 9th and 10th. Limited seating on both nights. Tickets will be available soon in the main office.
Book Week 2021
Assembly We kicked off book week with a fun assembly. The M5 and Mr Alastair staged an African folktale. Hence, the brutal and aggressive photo…
Otto and Navya presented the events that happened this week and in between we were fortunate enough to listen to poetry. Thank you to Josephine, Joshua, Andre, Sophia, Myra, Doris, Marina, Townes and Ivan for your courage and participation. Thank you as well to Juma, Ms Grace and Mr Swai for helping backstage!
We finished the assembly with the Jerusalema dance… Thank you to Ms Marsden, Mr Ben, Ms Cassandra and Mr Abdul for firing up the crowd!
Book Cover Doors
All the doors look beautiful and clearly a lot of time and effort is behind each single book door. Thank you to everyone who helped create these. If you get the chance, please walk around and admire them, the pictures do not do not do them justice.
Some doors however caught the judges’ attention particularly… These are the winners!!!
PYP Winner
Secondary Winner
Writing workshop
On Monday and Tuesday some of us had the chance to participate in a writing workshop with Esther Karin Mngodo, a Tanzanian author and journalist. Some of us wrote poems, others wrote short stories.
Esther’s CV is very long, so I just picked two highlights: One of her stories, “The Goddess of Mtwara”, has been published in the 2017 Caine Prize anthology. Esther was also the essay editor for Lolwe Magazine’s second edition. There are some really good short stories, essays and poetry.
When we met Esther said: ‘I am very passionate about creating a spark in other people, and especially young people. To encourage young writers to “fan the flame”. I wrote about this a few years ago when I and other writers did a school visit in Bagamoyo.’
I hope she did ‘fan the flame’ for you…Some students shared their poems after the workshop and they are hung on a board in front of the upper lab. Go read them, we have real talent!
Short story competition Thank you for all the stories! We will read them and announce the winner next week. The most captivating stories will be published in an upcoming newsletter and a little prize will be given to the winners.
Get Caught Reading
These are our winners, there were many great entries and some pictures can be seen around campus.
Ben’s Corner
Massive congratulations to our P6 class for their wonderful PYPX this week! On Tuesday, the students shared their inquiries with classes from across the school as well as their P5 and P6 counterparts from Arusha Campus. The breezeways were buzzing with confident presentations, insightful questions and meaningful, purposeful findings.
On Wednesday evening, a crowd of proud parents, teachers and friends gathered in Rafiki Hall to hear the P6 class formally introduce their PYPX. They sang beautifully (in multiple languages) and, then, invited the audience to view their presentations in the classrooms. To echo what I am sure is written elsewhere in this newsletter, you should all be extremely proud of your achievements. You presented with confidence, clarity and assurance. Your research was rich and meaningful and your action responsive, relevant and impactful. Well done! Good luck to our Arusha counterparts who share their PYPX next week.
So many people support the learners through the exhibition process, from teachers and EAs to Mentors, expert interviewees and members of the wider community. It is a real collaborative effort. Of course, parents also have a significant part to play throughout the experience. Indeed, that continues after the presentations as you offer feedback and celebrate your child’s achievements. Thank you one and all…and a particularly heartfelt thank you to Ms. Sarah, Ms Catherine and Ms. Alannah.
PYPX also marks the beginning of the end of Primary School for our P6 students. The experience, hopefully, allows them to showcase how they have come to embody the attributes of the IB Learner Profile during their time at UWCEA. They have left big shoes for our P5s to fill.
Ben Morley
Diploma News
It has been a quieter week on campus as the majority of D2 students have left, although a few seem to be finding it difficult to make the break! We hope they all have safe journeys home and we thank the ujafamilies who continue to support them.
The D1 students are now the oldest on campus and some have shown the responsibility by organising the mental health awareness dinner. There is also a group of students preparing for the school play and other students are currently at the mini sports weekend in Arusha.
They have their end of year exams starting on Monday. This is a chance for them to show what they have learned, but also to experience the formality of sitting exams and to see if their revision techniques work. The full timetable has been shared with students, but the summary is as follows:
The week after the exams they will get exam papers back and then spend some time on experiments for the group 4 IAS. The final week will see the TOK exhibition, followed by an EE/IA workday and then sports day.
Margaret Brunt
Smokeless Kitchen
The Smokeless Kitchens group has the objective of improving the lives of women around the community who still cook food using open fire. This school year has been exceptional for the Smokeless Kitchens group. Recently the group successfully built 6 kitchens for people in the Moshi community.
With good planning and good execution, we, a group of 6 individuals (Modeste, Amiira, Anh, Aftab, Ivan and Babu), in collaboration with the Maasai Stoves and Solar organization were able to help make a change to the community we live in. There were however times when we faced challenges, these challenges were mainly related to the organization of the materials/ resources required to build the stoves. In addition to that, finding suitable dates to actually build the smokeless kitchens was very difficult to do.
One advantage we had was that we received training together with an initial group of Moshi community members on building the stoves by Massai stoves company. A big achievement is the influence that the Smokeless Kitchen movement caused. We were able to successfully raise awareness regarding the harmful effects of open fire cooking on respiratory health, and on the environment.
This influence that we had by improving the lives of 6 staff members is yet the biggest accomplishment as it allows more people to know about our mission and the benefits of smokeless kitchens. Through these stoves we are able to show the benefits and explain our mission to many members of the community.
Next year we are planning to build more stoves by ourselves with the initial community group without any trainers. This will require the contribution of the UWCEA staff and student body, to ensure that this project is sustainable enough to be continued long into the future both on campus and also in other parts of Tanzania.
Residential Life
For this week’s update, I want to make special reference to UWCEA’s guiding statement, ‘A holistic and diverse portfolio of learning experiences.’
It has been a week full of diverse events and our residential students have been involved in them all. In the weekend, we had all our M1-M4 students with a handful of D1 and D2 students conquer the lion rock hash; whilst our M5 students remained on campus studying for their academic commitments and rehearsing in our school production.
Our Kimbilio students caused chaos in the kitchen, but surprisingly, created some edible pizzas at the end. For that, I thank the help of both our day and residential students in M4, M5 and D1 in our Activities Committee who gave up their afternoon to guide our younger students in their master chef creations.
Amongst the academic work during the week, we had our residential students involved in the PYP exhibitions showcasing their projects to audiences of all sorts, the blood drive on Monday which has already saved lives, mentoring in Kiongozi and Kivuli and our students who organised a mental health awareness dinner on Thursday with special guests from KCMC – our first semi-formal dinner for the year – a huge success. On this note, mental health in residential life cannot be more pertinent as it is with all teenagers and adults, and this dinner allowed us an opportunity to discuss the stigma that surrounds this issue whilst exploring an array of coping mechanisms and understanding how to speak up and whom to speak too. Support is always there in every capacity and our philosophy around residential care with teachers as mentors and ‘de-facto’ parents, offer a realm of characters, personalities and differences that enable us to connect with the vast mix of students in our care.
Finally, the weekend ahead allows another diverse experience through sports in Arusha, with many residential students partaking in an array of activities.
Simon Johnston
Student Government
On Thursday, the student government members helped the well being committee to organize a mental health awareness dinner, that revolves around the “Nature” theme. Experts from KCMC, school teachers, D3’s and the PEER supporters gave speeches about how important mental health is. The dinner took place from 5:45-7:30 in the dinning hall where people shared ideas and thoughts about mental health stigmas. It was a open and safe space where everyone exchanged ideas and the atmosphere in general was very positive!
This past Sunday, the Activities Committee made pizzas with the Kimbilio kids. Despite creating a huge mess afterwards, we had a fun time singing, dancing, shredding, chopping, mixing and everything in between! To our surprise, most of the kids knew their way around the kitchen and they were even teaching us how to cut the peppers and roll the dough! Everyone got a chance to design their own pizza by picking their own toppings, which put a smile on their faces. In the end, we bonded really well and made new friends in Kimbilio.
MYP News
The coming few weeks are action packed for the MYP. This week has been a lot of fun with book week from “Drop everything and Read” to our “Writer’s Workshops.” We had the campus very busy getting their doors decorated with the images from or covers of various African Authors, a great way to emphasize and celebrate the creativity that has emanated from Africa.
M5 News: The M5 students are now finished with their exams and deserve a big round of applause for a job well done. Now they have their focus days. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week they will be working out of the art room helping with the various creative elements required to get our drama production ready. Thank you to Ms. Penny for supervising the Focus Days and being so supportive. In addition to the Focus Days our M5s will be having a celebration of their accomplishments on Friday June 4th. It is a simple ceremony followed by snacks. The students are planning, decorating and hosting the event. I am sure it will reflect the amazing personalities of the class. It will begin at 3:00 followed by a small reception in the garden outside of Rafiki Hall.
M4 News: On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week the M4s will be having their final exams. The times and place will be the same as M5. All exams will be in room 32 and the students are expected to be in school all day.
The rest of the MYP will be business as usual with the classes running on the normal time table.
Jeanne Aman
From the Counselor
Self-Care Sunday
As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, we still want to keep the community engaged in work to support the mental health and well being of everyone. We are grateful to the mental health team at KCMC who have been working with us to provide education and resources in order to diminish the stigma placed on mental health in this region. We are also tremendously grateful for the work of Dr. Robin Peterson on the Arusha campus where she supports staff and students by meeting their mental health needs through her years of experience and expertise.
One of the best ways to support your mental health and wellbeing is to be more aware of yourself, your emotions, and how you respond to stressors in your life. An essential element of being able to do this is how you take care of your mind. A key way to do this is to set aside time to work on restoring your mind and focus on the thoughts that permeate your thinking. There are many ways to do this, and on Sunday we encourage every member of our community to take some time to create a routine for self-care and restoration. Please see our promotional flyer and additional resources below to start planning your special day of taking care of you.
As we bring Mental Health Awareness Month resources to a close, we once again reinforce the message of this year’s theme You Are Not Alone. If you are seeking resources to better understand mental health and to address some questions you may have, please take a look at the information on this website to enhance your understanding.
Moving over to the college and university side, next week once again brings some impressive international events our way. Please take a moment to explore these options as you plan for the week ahead:
More information can be found about these events and others on our Upcoming Visits List. The following week in June we have even more events coming your way that we hope you will continue to check the list for and plan accordingly.
As always, we close with offering you access to the resources we have compiled in the COVID-19 Counselor Resources.
Take (self-)care and persevere,
UWCEA School Counseling Team
PYP News
This week has featured three highlights on the PYP calendar.
Firstly, congratulations to the P6 class and teachers for a wonderful Exhibition. We are so proud of our oldest learners as they draw to the end of their PYP journey and turn their eyes towards MYP. They exhibited all of the qualities that we hope to see in our students – they were knowledgeable, risk takers, communicators and reflective along with so many other positive attributes. If you were unable to attend the event, you can still see the P6 slideshows as they will be posted on the school website shortly.
Secondly, PYP enjoyed Book Week! We had a costume parade, a book door competition, the children read books to see which one should be awarded the Kilimanjaro Award for Children’s Literature, mystery readers came into classes and we enjoyed Drop Everything And Read sessions. Many thanks to everyone who supported this event.
Last, but certainly not least, on Friday the PYP children presented their Gathering of Gratitude to thank all the people in their lives that help and look after them. It was great to see so many of you there.
Looking ahead:
June 4th – swim meet for Swim Squad members – do come along and cheer on our participants.
June 9th – No after school clubs – 6:45pm performance of Tiny Shop of Terrors
June 10th – No after school clubs – 6:45pm performance of Tiny Shop of Terrors
June 11th – 7:35am P6 Leaving Ceremony (all welcome) plus Primary Move Up Morning.
Mboka Mwasongwe & Deborah Mills
EC/P1 Class
Book week has been a great success. The children have enjoyed all the mystery readers that have visited us. Thank you Mama Blair, Mama Harjeet and Rhea for being our visitors this week. A special thank you also goes to all the parents who took time to make costumes or dress up the children on Monday. They all looked wonderful, especially ‘The Ugly Five’. In the coming weeks, we will look at the book ‘The Ugly Five’ as well as other books by Julia Donaldson and the children will have an opportunity to respond to the art and create their own.
EC/P1 had another extra treat this week. Joshua donated his ‘large suitcase’ to the class so that they could include it in their play. Please look at the picture. He also gave each of them pencils with chameleons that he had made for his PYP exhibition. Thank you very much Joshua!
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
What an awesome Friday we have had. We found out we’ve won the Primary Book Week Door Competition (YES!!!!!) and we finally got water in our rain gauges after we relocated them (a whole 2 cm!!). The P2/3 students have really challenged themselves this week to memorize yet another poem for the Gathering of Gratitude. They spoke with confidence and had huge smiles on their faces. Well done P2/3 and thank you to all the parents and grandparents who came out to support the students for the Gathering. We love you.
We’ve been discussing our camp this week, and have set ourselves a delicious menu while we are gone. I sent out a form of interest earlier this week. Please fill it out at the earliest so I can place food orders and begin organizing sleeping arrangements accordingly. Next week seems to be a normal week for us, but please remember that the performance will be taking place the following week on the 9th and 10th of June.
Congratulations to P6 on a wonderful exhibition and thank you to all the mamas and babas who came into school this week as Mystery Readers. 3 weeks to go!!
Elisha Jaffer
P4 Class
We may not have won the Book Door competition but this week wins the award for Busiest Week of P4! The combination of Book Week, Gathering Gratitude, and tricky concepts in our Economics unit made for jam packed days yet the class kept a great attitude. Thanks to all the parents who came out on Friday morning. Students were so proud of the skit and it was nice to have a focus on thankfulness this week. We loved having the Kilimanjaro Book Awards- each day a new book to look forward to. We’re grateful to our lone Mystery Reader, Mama Sena, who made a nice connection to our very first unit on Heroes by reading a story about Greta Thunberg, the young environmental activist.
It will be nice to have a normal-paced week ahead of us. We’ve been covering money in Math and will look at the metric system. It seems a review of apostrophes would be helpful for most students. We will look at budgets and savings. A study of the book One Hen will help us to see how micro-finance can impact communities.
The highlight of the week was welcoming our new student from Switzerland, Maurus. Despite a language gap, the class is communicating well together and he is busy teaching a bit of German to all who are interested!
Kacey Buckley
P5 Class
We had a lovely Book Week. Monday saw all of the P5 students in their costumes parading along the breezeway! Many thanks to Selma, Ben and Heloise for visiting the class as mystery readers. Granny Morley visited us twice to read us a story – on the second occasion she seemed to have grown a beard! We did not win the book door competition (well done P2/3) but we still think our door looks splendid! The P5 students very much enjoyed visiting the P6 Exhibition on Tuesday. The Arusha campus P6 class has invited us to Arusha to watch their Exhibition next Tuesday and we are looking forward to the trip – please remember to send your child with a water bottle and a packed lunch. We hope to be back in Moshi by 2pm. If we are running late I will inform you by SMS. On Wednesday and Thursday of next week we will be going on our camp to Kahawa Shamba and on Friday swim squad members will be participating in the Swim Meet. When we are in the classroom we will continue with our work on forces and simple machines. The following week will be the school production – we have a lot to look forward to!
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
The P6 students just wrapped up a fabulous week. They impressed many with their PYPX presentations, from students at the day time sharing to extended family and friends during the evening event. They received compliments from everyone, and each of those compliments was well deserved. They shared genuine compliments and appreciations during our Friday meeting today impressing one another with their dedication and motivation throughout the journey.
It would not have been possible without the help of their supportive mentors, caring parents, and other staff within the school. I want to thank the drivers for taking them on memorable trips. I would like to point out the important role Ms. Catherine played throughout this whole process- giving me ideas, supporting their work, supervising their trips, and all the tasks she did behind the scenes. I have so much gratitude to my mentor as well, Ms. Debbie, for her reminders and for her help getting us started on this journey. I would also like to thank the class for being such a great group to lead through this process. You are all amazing and did an excellent job sharing your passion and new knowledge with the community. Bravo!