Moshi Campus News – 17 Aug 2025

One week in and school is in full swing. D1 students on both campuses met this weekend and we walked through the area around Mt Meru and camped overnight as they had time to get to know each other, learn more about the area and get a taste of Outdoor Pursuits. While the walks were fairly short (about 7-10k) there were some ups and downs as you can see below.

All throughout the newsletter you will see pictures from the start of school and information on the weeks to come. Parents, please note that you are invited to the assembly tomorrow at 10:30am.

Our team of students that run the Farmers’ Market are in motion and are trying hard to have the first market this Friday the 22nd. We will update you further in the coming days.

Please also remember, in addition to the newsletters, you will receive emails from us about relevant events or other important information. These emails usually come from our school platform Life. If you have filters on your email, please allow these emails to be visible as we try only to send important updates.

Bob Cofer – Head of Campus

Wednesday 20th August 2025

Our vast UWCEA Activities Fair will take place on Wednesday 20th August, We invite all Students from MYP to Diploma to come meet all the program leaders, come learn about the different Service, Sports and Clubs on offer here at UWCEA Moshi and how you can get involved. The Activities Fair will take place on the Green outside K-Hall from 14:05 to 16:30. Karibu Sana. For more information, please email me at badendowie@uwcea.org.

-Baden Dowie

The Culture and Campus Committee warmly welcomes you back! We hope you’ve had a restful summer break.

To kick off the new term, we’re hosting a Welcome Back Carnival for students on Friday, 22 August from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on the bottom pitch.

Expect an afternoon full of fun, with activities like face painting, henna application, bean bag toss, rope trampoline, tug of war, performances, “dunk-a-person for 3k” and more!

🌟 Hot dogs and ice cream from Jay’s will be on sale, and we’ll also have dinner served on the pitch afterward.

Dear UWCEA Community,

The past two weeks have been nothing short of a whirlwind of energy, learning, and connection as we welcomed our new students and kicked off the academic year. From the moment our D1s and new MYP students arrived on campus, the focus has been on helping them settle in, get to know each other, and begin building the habits and relationships that will carry them through their time here.

For our D1s, the week of orientation was full of workshops and conversations designed to do more than simply “introduce” UWCEA; it was about immersing them in what it means to be part of this community. They explored our mission and core values, unpacked the meaning of collaboration and effective teaming, reflected on well-being, and learned about communicating with care and resolving conflict with respect. They also spent time understanding the local context they will be living and learning in, an important step in embracing life here in Moshi. The week culminated in warm and lively dorm dinners, where housemates, residential parents, and mentors shared food, laughter, and stories.

Our MYP students followed a similar path, connecting with each other, learning about our shared values, and building the foundations of strong teamwork. Their activities helped them navigate both the academic and social aspects of life at UWCEA, ensuring that they, too, feel equipped and ready for the year ahead.

None of this would have been possible without the dedication and creativity of our Orientation Crew and all the staff who stepped in to lead sessions, guide activities, and simply be present for our students. Thank you for the time, energy, and heart you poured into making our new arrivals feel at home.

We’re just back from the next adventure: this weekend, our D1s headed out on their first OP (Outdoor Pursuits) challenge of the year. Whether they’re hiking, camping, or tackling the elements, they took what they learned during orientation, teamwork, resilience, and a willingness to step outside their comfort zones, into the wild.

We are in the midst of preparing to start our Uja program this year. To our Uja families, thank you for all the effort and support you have provided to our students over the years. If you are still keen to continue with the program or want to be part of the program, please fill out this survey. Ms. Val will reach out to the current families in the next few days as well.

Finally, parents, visitors, guardians, Uja families, please feel free to join us on Monday at 10:30 in K-Hall for our first whole-school assembly led by our Student Government.

Enjoy a few extra photos for these two weeks.

Adnan – Head of Student Life

We had a wonderful week back on campus and it has been so nice to welcome the new D1s and see the D2s back in class.

The D1 students have been exploring their subjects and with the help of our University Counsellor, Ms Elger, many have made their selection. Others are still changing subjects as they come to understand what is required in each course. We will continue to allow changes this week (provided there is space in the classes) but from next week, students will need to complete a form requesting the change. The process is more formal from next week because we don’t want students left behind.

This week, the D1 students were also introduced to Project Week by Ms Margaret, our CAS coordinator and a group of D2s. Project Week is an opportunity for students to identify an area of Tanzania that they would like to visit, with the aim of serving and learning about the local community.

• Project Week is a chance to use the skills they’ve learned at UWC East Africa to bring positive change to the world.
• Project Week is a way of promoting the ideals and mission of the UWC movement in a hands-on manner.
• Project Week fulfils one of the basic principles of the UWC Educational Model in that it provides opportunities for students to practice personal initiative, self-discipline and responsibility, to manage risk and embrace challenges.
• Students represent UWC East Africa with utmost care and consideration.

Project Week will take place the week starting 29 September. Students will need to submit a proposal and will be given a supervisor to help with the planning. In the past, we have had students work with law firms, environmental groups, animal shelters, sports teams and National Parks. We look forward to another group of meaningful projects.

During Project Week, the D2s will have a week to focus on their Extended Essay, CAS and University applications. Many have visited the University Counsellor already and we will spend time with the students next week discussing the process and looking ahead to the rest of the year.

Catherine Dowie – Head of Diploma

The quarter for English IBDP started with exploring cultural beliefs and biases through stories. D1 English explored Fairy tales and discussed how stories narrated to young children about values, relationships and people are instrumental in shaping their minds and decisions. Students from Self taught were divided into groups and were asked to identify the common elements in the different books that they are reading. It turned out to be a unique sharing which included quotations from different languages and an interpretation of similar themes through different lenses. These discussions are not just focused on content but also play an important role in developing an understanding of context and accepting cultural diversity. 

Ms Vagisha

This week marked the start of a new MYP journey! We began with three days dedicated to helping both new and returning students settle in. Our new students have been getting used to the program and the school, and they are already showing great engagement and curiosity. Returning students have been busy as always, diving straight into their learning, making connections, and practicing key MYP skills like inquiry, communication, and collaboration.

Thursday officially kicked off classes, and students immediately began exploring their subjects while reflecting on their own learning goals and approaches. It was wonderful to see collaboration, curiosity, and thoughtful questioning in action across all year levels.

Please keep checking the newsletter for regular updates and insights into students’ learning experiences as we will be sharing plenty of examples, highlights, and classroom discoveries as the weeks go by. Who knows, your next “aha moment” might even end up here in the newsletter!

MYP Dates to Remember

• August 18th – First Whole School Assembly
• August 27th – Service Starts
• August 23rd – M1 Camp Craft with New M2 and M3 Students
• August 29th – Joint Campus Teacher Inset Day – No Classes
• September 12th & 13th – 24 Hr Run on Moshi Campus
• September 15th to 19th – MYP MAP Testing (M1, M2, M3)
• September 29th to October 3rd – Week Without Walls
• October 10th – Classes End Q1
• October 11th – October 19th – October Break (Inclusive)
• October 20th – Q2 Begins

Have a great week ahead,
Farah Fawaz – Head of MYP

The Leopard Sharks are making a splash and our experienced coach is ready to train the next generation of champions.

This exciting opportunity is open to competitive swimmers in P6 to D2. Our program is a great way to get extra training and competition experience.

Ready to dive in? Come to the free time trials on either Tues, 19th Aug at 2:30 p.m. or Fri, 22nd Aug at 1:30 p.m.

What’s Next? We’ll be sharing more details about registration and our swim session schedule after time trials. Once you are ready to commit, the cost of 2-3 times weekly trainings is TSH 200,000 per quarter to cover expenses for a Tanzania Swim Association (TSA) registered club and an experienced swim trainer.

Join the legacy and come swim with the Leopard Sharks!

Thank you to everyone who came along to Friday’s Primary Gathering, it was lovely to see so many parents there. As mentioned at the gathering, Primary clubs will hopefully start on Monday, 25th August. I am waiting to hear back from parents and Diploma students regarding whether they can offer clubs. If you are happy to support our programme, please email me on deborahmills@uwcea.org When the schedule is set, you will receive an email asking you to sign up your child on Life.

We have a whole school assembly at 10:30am on Monday, 18th August. Primary parents are welcome to attend this event but the focus will mainly be on the secondary children at this time. The students have been asked to dress in their house Tshirts: Kibo (blue), Meru (yellow) and Mawenzi (green). House shirts and primary shirts are available from the main office. If your child doesn’t not have a school shirt they are welcome to wear any shirt in their house colour on Monday.

Thursday, 21st August at 6pm is PYP Meet the Teacher night. This will be an opportunity to meet your child’s teacher as well as other parents in the primary school. Homeroom teachers will give 2 presentations, one at 6:20pm and the other at 6:40pm to allow parents with more than one child to attend two presentations. Teachers will give an overview of the coming school year and will share some general housekeeping points. Refreshments will be provided.

You will see elsewhere in this newsletter that the Campus and Culture Committee has arranged a welcome back carnival on Friday, 22nd August, 4 – 6pm. The primary children are very welcome to attend this event with a supervising adult. It looks like it will be a lot of fun. Please note that dinner will only be provided for residential students.

A reminder that PYP children are not allowed to share their morning snacks with their friends. In the past we have found that children who have a popular snack end up with very little to eat due to the pressure to give some of it to classmates. There are also implications regarding food allergies to be considered. Some children ask their parents to pack extra snack specifically to share with their friends. If your child asks you to do this, please explain that you have been requested not to do so.

All PYP children visit the IT lab. This room is air conditioned to keep the equipment cool. Your child might benefit from bringing a jacket or sweater to school on IT days.

Upcoming dates to add to your calendars (subject to change so please check the school calendar on the website)

• 18th August – Whole school assembly at 10:30am
• 21st August – PYP Parent Night 6:30pm
• 29th August – No classes – teacher inset day
• 5th September – Maulid (provisional)
• 12th – 13th September – 24-hour run
• 8th October – PYP Goal Setting Conferences
• 10th October – Classes end
• 20th October – Classes start
• 4th November – PYP Athletics Day (Moshi)
• 4th December – Evening of the Arts
• 8th December – End of semester whole school assembly
• 9th December – Independence Day
• 10th December – PYP Parent Teacher Conferences
• 12th December – Last day of classes

Deborah Mills – Head of PYP

Hello from the music department!

We are pleased to start off the new school year with private music lessons. Lessons cost 30,000 Tsh per lesson.

If your child is interested in piano and/or guitar lessons, please reach out to Mr. Emmanuel Swai at emmanuelswai@uwcea.org. If you are interested in voice and/or ukulele lessons, please reach out to Ms. Jamie Wood at jamiewood@uwcea.org. More information about drum lessons to come soon. We look forward to hearing from you soon! – Emmanuel and Jamie

Superheroes in training have started the week with a blast.
This week, they worked on co-creating the class Essential Agreements. Each person shared their ideas with the class. When you visit our class, you will be able to see them on our wall.

In our quest to understand the learner profiles, we have been talking about them as a class and working on describing them using our own words. This week, as a class, we agreed to give a leaf to Zayn for being a thinker, and Adannaya and Rowan for being caring. They were able to say why they received their leaves. Well done to them.

Next week, we will be unpacking our new unit of inquiry. We will look at what the word community means.

Transdisciplinary Theme: Who We Are
Central Idea: Our actions impact our lives and the lives of others.
Lines of Inquiry:

• Developing a community
• Responsibilities as a citizen and as a community member
• Classroom jobs

Mboka Mwasongwe

It was a super start to the school year in P 2/3! We are looking forward to Caleb and Sybil joining us next week so that our class will be complete. This year is packed with terrific units and we kick off with Heroes. The Lines of inquiry are:

• The qualities of heroes
• Role models and their influence on us
• The impact ‘heroic’ people have had on society

We will approach this unit in 3 parts: a look at superheroes, a consideration of heroes in the community, and a study of some heroes of history.

Thanks for your help with the questionnaires. These will help us to understand the class better. In the week ahead, please keep in mind our PE class on Monday and Tuesday. Be sure to send in running shoes and water bottles. Home Learning will be sent home on Monday and should be returned on Friday. This will also be our Library day so children need to bring in their Library bags and books.

Kacey Buckley

We had such lovely week together in P4/5. The children completed different “Getting to know you” style activities. They made an “All About Me” poster and started work on a self portrait. The children spent a lot of time reading and also worked on a maths assessment. In the coming week we will commence our first Unit of Inquiry (UOI).

Central Idea: How a person thinks and feels about themselves shapes them as a learner.

Lines of inquiry:

• Factors that influence self identity.
• How a growth mindset develops a learner.
• Our responsibility towards others.

The children will bring reading books home in the coming week. All children have brought home a schedule showing specialist lessons. Library is Monday, PE is Tuesday and, from September, Swimming will be on Friday. Please ensure the children always have a pair of shoes suitable for running in school.

Deborah Mills

Well, we’ve made it through Week 1!

We’ve had a wonderful first week together, full of laughter, learning, and new connections! Our class has been busy getting to know one another through fun activities, while also diving into a little bit of math. We’ve started exploring the IB Learner Profiles and specified concepts, laying the foundation for an exciting year ahead. The students are buzzing with ideas and enthusiasm for the PYP Exhibition (PYPX) — it’s clear we’ve got a creative and motivated group! We’re looking forward to building our knowledge and skills together as we prepare for this big milestone. If you squint at the photo enough, you’ll see thank you symbols the students have designed, and a name under the symbol thanking someone this week. A reminder that our whole school assembly will be held at 10:30am on Monday in K-Hall, and the Parent Evening is on Thursday 21st from 6pm – 7pm. I look forward to seeing you all soon! 

Elisha Jaffer