Yesterday was our talent show organized by the student government. It was an excellent display of many types of talent and included acts from P1 to D2 as you can see in the pictures below. We were also treated to an ending solo by Mr Wilkinson.
This week the D2 students continued to complete their IB exams and many could see that their hard work over the last two years was actually paying off. The exams continue through the 20th of May. The students have activities they are planning for the 20th, 21st and ending with Graduation on the 22nd. I think most of the three days will be spent saying goodbye to the close friends they have made here.
In the notes below you will see information about several other events around campus which includes a clean up event that is part of a P6 Exhibition project.
Thank you to the parents that joined us this past week for different Zoom calls and we will be contacting D2 parents soon about a specific call for them.
This next week we have the Eid holiday. At the moment we do not know if this means the holiday is Thursday and Friday or Friday and Saturday. As soon as we know we will inform the parent body.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
TEDxYouth
The TEDxYouth@UWCEA team is currently organizing a TEDx event to be held in September (in our school)! For that, we were hoping to ask for your kind help.
We are currently planning to organise a Cricket Tournament in our school for you, our UWCEA Community parents! This would be considered a fundraising event as you would be able to support us by joining.
It would be wonderful if you could let us know if you would be interested, and which date you could come. Also which price would suit you best? We were wondering how much you would be willing to donate by buying a ticket at the gate on the day of the event (we were estimating a range between 15000-20000 Tsh). You would also be provided with the opportunity to play football and frisbee (if desired). Please contact us at tedxmoshi@gmail.com if you are inetrested in attending.
Thank you in advance! TEDx Finance Team
Ben’s Corner
Establishing a healthy work-life balance can be challenging at the best of times. In a dynamic, through school such as UWCEA, where there is so much happening, all the time, it can be even more difficult to maintain the equilibrium. Our ninth Value from our UWC East Africa Guiding Statements, A healthy lifestyle and active pursuits, is testament to the importance we place on making healthy choices and staying active. This is important across the grades and for teachers and support staff too. As a community, we strive to offer experiences and opportunities that support this balance and allow people to maintain a healthy mind and body. Today’s message from our Student Government about Mental Health Awareness Month in May is further testament to how we believe our mental health is something we need to value and look out for.
Within the curriculum, there are countless opportunities for students to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of what it means to be healthy and the importance of healthy and mindful choices. At the same time, we are fortunate enough to be able to host regular community events that promote wellbeing, mindfulness and physical health, such as Yoga, Pilates, Crossfit, Group Meditation and so on. In line with this, I asked our inhouse wellness expert, Ms. Marissa, to share her thoughts on why this is such an important thing to value as a school:
“When our minds are calm and clear, we are better able to learn and to sort through the things that are important in the moment. There is so much research highlighting how a stressed out brain does not have the ability to analyse and synthesise information. So, when it comes to learning, we need our minds to be calm and focused.
This is why it is so important to build in moments of quiet and reflection during our busy lives so that we can better understand ourselves. When our mind is clear it reflects reality without distortion.”
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
The D2 students have completed their first week of exams, some have had their first exam on Thursday but others have nearly finished. The attitude and behaviour of students continues to impress and we hope it will continue. We do not know for certain when the holiday for Eid will be, but the exams continue according to the schedule. Plans are still underway for graduation and other celebrations. A reminder we have a strict two family members only as guests at graduation.
The D1 students were given the deadline schedule this week for all of their submissions. It is important they plan their time wisely and stick to the deadlines. Circumstances may mean we need to make changes to the schedule so they should check back regularly. If the students have a problem in meeting any deadline they need to talk to their teacher and me in advance. Some have already met the first deadline for the draft of the Economics Commentary 1 and the proposal for the Business Management Research Project is due next week. For all students the first reflection for their Extended Essay is due on Friday.
In mentor time on Monday the students had a chance to play games. There was Dodge Ball, Volleyball, Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Rounders and Capture the Flag. The students all enjoyed themselves. Thank you to the teachers for supporting them.
Margaret Brunt – DP Coordinator
Residential Life
Examinations, mentoring, activities, eventful, tolerance, stressful, perseverance and resilience…These are to name but a few adjectives or themes that would describe residential life here at Moshi this week!
As an Assistant Parent myself, I had one of the quieter weekends I’ve experienced for some time in the Diploma houses last weekend. This was due to our D2s being busy studying and our D1s getting into the thick of their assessments. The quietness of sorts was not something I had experienced here over the last 5 months. However, in saying that, what probably contributed to this was the fact that every MYP student was enjoying themselves 42kms away at Maji Moto Hot Springs on a day where the rained stopped and the sun shone. On this note, it is important to thank Mr Marsh and Ms Hilda for taking our students out for the day. Despite the initial groans that it was going to be cold, the boys and girls loved getting off-campus in such a beautiful and tranquil location which we had almost all to ourselves.
In addition to the above, we have implemented a new Diploma One mentoring programme in Kivuli and Kiongozi respectfully – our MYP dorms. This has been designed to not only role model correct behaviour and study techniques, but has also been used as an opportunity for our younger students to seek help when needed and for our M5 students to better understand the integration into the Diploma years that are now only a few months away. There are too many students to name and thank individually, but their presence, maturity, empathy and guidance has been greatly appreciated by our staff and students. I am pleased to see that it will continue for at least the remainder of the term.
In Kimbilio, we will be implementing our first Student Government activity next Sunday with our Cultural Committee and I am excited to see even more Diploma involvement in our most crucial years of the school.
As previously mentioned, please continue to communicate any travel plans with me for the upcoming break and I wish our D2 students all the very best for the remainder of their examinations.
Simon Johnston – Head of Residential Life
MYP News
The corridors have been a bit quieter this week as the M3 students went off on their trip to the Cultural Arts Center. We shall have pictures for you soon.
The school is active right now with play rehearsals and many other campus events, but this does not mean that learning has slowed. Please encourage your student to continue to keep their diary, or homework planner, up to date daily. Ask to read it with them when they are home or to share their assignments with you when you speak with them. We need to encourage the MYP students to keep the level of organization high as we approach the end of the year.
In addition to organization please encourage the M1 and M2 students to read for pleasure and shut down their devices. As they read ask them to share what they are reading with you, talk about it and ask questions. It is so important for us all to encourage reading for all different purposes.
I will be sending home the MAP results shortly. This time there will be a link to a video that explains what you are looking at and how to read the report. In addition to this you are always welcome to reach out and ask for a private conversation about the results.
Jeanne Aman – MYP Coordinator
From the Counselor
Myths, Resilience, and Looking Ahead
Mental Health Month continues, and one of the biggest obstacles for receiving appropriate care for mental illness is the prevalence of myths about mental health. In our effort to build awareness this month, we encourage you to do some mental health fact checking to better understand why awareness is so critical. Here is a link to a recent blog about why building awareness and understanding the facts is so critical.
Increasing awareness starts with education, and we want to present an opportunity to learn from an expert in the field of journalism and mental health. Please consider joining the Resilience and Recovery from Trauma webinar on Tuesday, 11 May. Trauma has been experienced by so many people in varying ways during the global pandemic, and seeking ways to deal with the trauma and work through it are essential to addressing any mental health concerns that may stem from the impact of COVID-19 on many aspects of our lives.
Next week is Mental Health Week in the UK, and they are focusing on a theme that is perfect for us in northern Tanzania. They are delving into the many benefits of nature, and how it can relieve some of the mental health challenges that can affect our lives. Please take some time to enjoy nature in your environment and the positive influence that it can have on your overall well being.
Switching hats to the college advising side of the role, we are truly grateful to the parents who were able to attend the D1 parent College Admission Preparation presentation on 5 May. Although we covered a lot of information (quickly), we hope you found the information useful and continue the conversations with your child about preparation for their future. If you were not able to attend and/or would like to view the presentation as a Google Slideshow with the notes available in the bottom of most slides, feel free to access via this link.
As we discussed in the presentation, there is a plethora of information available from institutions around the world as they are moving into their recruitment season for the next application cycle. We are constantly adding new recordings and events to our Upcoming Visits List, and strongly encourage you to take a look to access valuable information for the post-secondary planning process.
In this month of being mindful, and finding more meaning, we welcome you to see a new monthly focus calendar full of ideas and other resources we have compiled in the COVID-19 Counselor Resources. Our team understands and seeks to support the mental health needs of our school community, and appreciate any resources that you are willing to share with us.
Take care and persevere,
UWCEA School Counseling Team
Sports Update
Some good news for our young sports stars. Currently we are planning for 2 events once we are through the IB exams. On the 28th and 29th of May we will be taking M1 – D1 students to Arusha Campus for a Sports Weekend Lite. This will involve a mini track and field event on Friday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm with some basketball in the evening under lights. Saturday be comprised of mainly team sports with Frisbee, Touch, Netball, Basketball and Volleyball played by U13, U15 and U19 students. Primary will have a swim meet on the 4th of June here on Moshi Campus with Arusha campus. The meet will start at 10am and be wrapped up by 1pm. On the same day the Arusha U19 girls’ soccer team will make the trip and take on our U19 soccer girls at 1pm. So, we have lots to train for and prepare for some good competitions. Please ensure you are encouraging your child/ren to make every training session for the sports they have registered to play over the next 4 weeks so that the teams are ready to compete. This will be beneficial at 3 levels, 1) it will help the teams to perform better 2) It will keep them active and healthy 3) It will help them with their preparation for exams as it is shown that when people exercise, they commit knowledge to long term memory better.
Karate Tuesdays for PYP students from 5.45pm to 7pm and Thursday for MYP/DP students from 5.45pm to 7pm. The cost for these lessons is TSH 20,000 per month or TSH 5,000 per session, Lessons will take place in K-hall.
Tennis with Coach Charles Tennis with Coach Charles continues with him offering 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 will take place 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
Community Activities
Pilates Hagit Goldberg is running Pilates for any members of the community who would like to take part on Thursdays from 7.45am to 8.45am. Pilates is a method that works on concentration, flexibility, core strength and balance.
Interhouse News
A big thank you to Miss Jaime for running our inter house chess competition last week. Several MYP/DP students matched their wits in an exciting tournament which saw the following results.
Kibo – 6 point (2 wins)
Meru – 7 points (2 wins, 1 tie)
Mawenzi – 13 points (4 wins, 1 tie)
This now leaves the competition extremely close.
The final few weeks of school will decide who takes home the UWCEA Moshi Inter House Shield. We have a French competition coming up where students need to register online to a vocabulary site that will test the number of words they know and help them to revise for upcoming exams. A science and maths quiz is in the pipeline and in the final week we will have Primary and Secondary sports fun days where students will take part in Touch Rugby, Netball and Ultimate Frisbee to decide the house champions.
Outdoor Pursuits
We are down to our last 3 trips for the year. Please note the change of date for our Mountain Bike Level 4. This has been changed to after the exams to reduce academic pressures on students.
Next week a handful of our committed Water OPers will take part in the first level 5 trip for this OP stream. They will be honing their diving skills with some recreational dives, however most of their time will be taken with service dives and activities. These include cleaning artificial coral reefs 12m under water, cleaning coral nurseries 4m under water, collecting broken coral and planting it on the nurseries and locating more nurseries to populate.
PYP News
Many congratulations to the PYP performers in Friday’s UWCEA’s Got Talent. Every class was represented from EC to P6 and we were entertained with music, dancing, singing and magic tricks!
The MAP test results for children in P4-P6 have been emailed to parents, along with an explanatory video to help you interpret your child’s results. If you have any questions regarding your child’s progress please contact the class teacher.
There are many events coming up this May and June. Please keep these dates in your calendar. More details will be sent to you accordingly.
12th May Last day for school production logo competition (based on Little Shop of Horrors)
11th – 12th May Plastic Pickup House Competition 1:30 – 2pm during PYP lunchtime.
13th and 14th May expected dates for Eid holiday.
24th May – 28th May Book Week.
The 24th will be a dress as a book character day. The theme of the dress up this year will be African books or books that are set in Africa but if the children don’t have a costume on this theme they can wear something else.
25th May – P6 Exhibition presentation to the PYP children (during school day)
26th May – P6 Exhibition presentation to the wider community (early evening)
28th May – Gathering of Gratitude – parents encouraged to attend
4th June – Swim Gala Moshi Campus – details still being finalised by sports dept.
9th June – School production – evening performance
10th June – School production – evening performance
We listened to stories about Elmer the patchwork elephant this week. Colourful elephants were made using patterned elephants. The children had a chance to design their own patterned elephants as well. These can all be seen on the board outside our class. We also started making toilet roll elephants which will be completed next week. The children enjoyed creating different types of elephants so much that they want to embark on creating a large 2D elephant for the class. So next week, we will be creating a large patch work elephant as a class.
In mathematics, EC1s have been working on recognising their numbers and putting them in order as seen in the picture. EC2s and P1s were solving their addition and subtraction, and mental math work using different strategies. P1s also created their own word problems for their peers to solve.
Remember, you are welcome to read a picture book to the children as we are looking at stories with illustrations. You may choose which group to read to when you come.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
P 2/3 has officially finished their Around the World stories. There are lots of sights to see in these stories, and the students have had an incredible time researching popular spots from Morocco to Siberia. In math, we’ve been multiplying. All the students are either practicing their multiplication tables, or how to solve different problems. The students have been introduced to their new unit of inquiry. The long-term homework for the next unit of inquiry should have been brought home on Friday. Next week, we’re hoping to conduct experiments for our new unit. We’ll know more once we figure out when Eid will be celebrated.
Well done to all P2/3 students who participated in the Talent Show. You’ve all been incredible performers!
Please remember next week is a short week, and look out for an email letting you know when the day/s off will be.
Elisha Jaffer
P4 Class
Our animal-loving class has enjoyed this unit so very much. Thanks to all parents and friends who made it to our Endangered Animal Expo. It was clear to all that the students were very proud of their work and very attached to the animals they reported on. It was a delightful afternoon to share with our guests.
As we kick off our final unit next week, I’d like to remind parents that we are always happy to have ‘experts’ come and share a lesson with the class. We will be studying marketing and a basic introduction to Economics. It will be wonderful to have students consider the concepts of supply and demand as well as our responsibility as consumers. If you, or someone you know in the community, have a particular interest or background in this topic, please let me know!
Looking ahead to the rest of the term, you should have received an email with dates to remember. As a heads-up, the last week of May is action Packed! It is Book Week which will kick off with our Primary Costume Parade on Monday. That Friday (the 28th) is the Gratitude Gathering and all parents are invited to come and hear from each of the classes.
Kacey Buckley
P5 Class
This week the children were lucky enough to benefit from 2 extra teachers. Ms. Jackie (secondary science teacher) led a heart dissection in the science lab. The children wore latex gloves and used their fingers, scissors and scalpels to explore the insides of this vital organ. This activity gave us the opportunity to revisit our work on body systems earlier in the year. On Friday Ms. Grace (IT) led a lesson on how to make a Google Slides presentation and showed the children how to insert images and change the background of slides. Next week we will work on slide transitions. The children have been learning about a natural hazard of their choice and will share this information with each other next week. Then we will start our last inquiry of the year – forces. We have a brand new magnet investigation kit that arrived in the overseas order! On Wednesday the P5 children will be helping Alvin (P6) with his Exhibition action by picking up plastic trash behind school. They will use gloves for this activity and should be sure to wear sturdy shoes. This activity will happen at 11:30 and is separate from the all PYP campus trash pickups that have been arranged for Tuesday and Wednesday lunchtimes. Please look out for letters giving updates regarding the whole school production.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
This week went by in a flash! Today the P6 took a break from their hard work to enjoy some extra play time with their EC/P1 buddies. They all had fun playing tag and using their imagination. This week we finished our group book, and moved onto partner and small group reading. They are all reading great authors like Gary Paulson and EB White. Everyone so far is enjoying their new book.
Next week we will participate in Alvin’s plastic pick up action by removing trash in the community around the school. We will go on Wednesday from 11:30-1:00. This is a part of the house competition that is taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday during lunch. Please see the accompanying poster for more information. We are in need of bags to collect the trash. If you have some at home, please send them in.
