You will notice below we have a variety of activities as we come into the last two months of the school year. For the secondary students, this time varies from exams to IDU trips, focus days and sports activities. Even through we are approaching the end of the year we are still working on a holistic approach to education for students.
Many of the primary school classes are putting their summative assessments together for their current unit of inquiry that they are finishing off and are starting their final UOI for the year. In P6, they are very involved in their Exhibition work as this is a great opportunity for them to personalize their learning.
As parents you should have received an invite to update your intentions for next year and update any contact and medical information. We stress the importance of these items so we can easily contact you as needed and so that we can support students’ individual medical needs. You will also soon receive the invoices for next year based on your enrolment indications.
We have a D1 parents zoom this week regarding University admissions and one for PYP/MYP parents as well. We also intend have a zoom meeting for D2 parents in the next week.
I also ask you to be on the lookout for a CIS survey. This is part of our accreditation process and is a great opportunity for all members of the UWCEA community to provide us with feedback across a wide variety of areas.
Bob Cofer – Head of Campus
Student Activities
Bake Sale
Would you like to contribute to providing menstrual hygiene and education to Tanzanian women? Do you want to make a positive change in the community?
Our service, Femmezania, is aspiring to educate and provide menstrual hygiene to young women in Tanzania; for them to lead better lives. Our first project focuses on More Than A Drop, a vocational center that offers education to women in the culinary industry. Our mission is to collaborate with FemmeInternational in providing adequate menstruation knowledge and products; to spread awareness, break taboos, reduce period poverty in our community, and financially support the 30 young women in More Than A Drop every year. Next week Thursday, on the 6th of May during break time (10:10- 10:35) at the breezeway, we will hold a bake sale to raise money for the initiative, and we would absolutely appreciate it if you can support our aim towards fair access to sustainable menstruation products for all.
Thank you Femmezania Service Group
UWCEA’s Got Talent
The Student Government presents the first ever talent show jovially titled ‘UWCEA’s Got Talent.’ Come join us on Friday 7th May and immerse yourself in a hotbed for Music, Art, Drama, Spoken Word, Dance, Comedy and anything in between. The event is free of charge and open to all students, teachers and parents. We ask all parents to wear masks at all times during the event. As for the performers reading this, please complete the sign-up sheet that was shared earlier in the week. Be ready to showcase your talents in front of a panel of judges and an audience of up to 150 people.
Ben’s Corner
It is the end of another action packed week at UWCEA. Our school is such a dynamic, active, often hectic environment where so much is happening all the time, a fulfilling place where every day is full of countless opportunities across the grades. The length of these weekly newsletters is testament to this! However, when you are immersed in such a community, it is important to step back and take a moment to think about wellbeing. Ms. Cassandra often reminds us of the importance of both self-care and caring for others on a regular basis but, of course, it is up to us to act on her advice.
A shared responsibility and a collective duty of care for ourselves, each other and the environment.
“All one has to do is take a moment to look at our surroundings and one can’t help but feel at peace. It reminds us that we are part of our environment but that we also benefit from it. We just celebrated Earth Day taking care of nature, we have to remember to take time to take care of ourselves. In addition, we need to remind those around us how to care for themselves. Sometimes, this is through modelling but, also, gentle reminders.
Although our school can be very active at times, there are many opportunities for people to engage in activities that benefit our collective wellbeing. From the ongoing efforts of the P.E.A.R. Supporters to the Primary Student Voice, we are constantly seeking ways to help each other.”
Ben Morley – Deputy Head of Campus
Diploma News
With the focus on the D2 celebrations last week I forgot to mention the assembly we had on Monday 19th April. This student led event looked at genocide with a focus on the Holocaust and the events in Rwanda. The students who spoke showed immense bravery in telling their personal stories, but the other students should also be thanked for the respect they showed during the presentation.
The D2 students have started their final exams. The tests are off to a good start with all students arriving promptly and using their time well in preperation.
On Thursday 22nd April the D1 students took part in an Earth Day Quiz during Guidance Time.
The D1 students have started a block of electives in Life Skills. They are looking at testing and stress relief, first aid and car maintenance, their digital footprint, swimming and lifesaving, and basic cooking. The first aid group learnt how to do CPR this week.
The D1 students are also working on their Extended Essays, their focus at the moment is on deciding their topic and planning what they need to research as well as having their first formal reflection session.
Margaret Brunt – DP Coordinator
Residential Life
I write to you to share the end of year dates for your soon to be UWC graduates. As you know, the IB exams started Thursday and will be over Thursday, May 20th. Following graduation ceremonies, we ask that our graduates move out of their residential houses by the end of the day on Sunday, May 23. End of year examinations will commence afterwards for our M5 students’ and we ask that upon completion, they move out by the end of the day on Sunday, 6 June.
For all our remaining students, we ask that they move out on Friday, 18 June.
In saying this, I understand there may be some complications with travel, and we will coordinate this accordingly. To this end, I have shared a “Summer Plans” document with all our students’ and with our MYP and PYP parents. If you could complete this in a timely manner, it will allow me to plan and look at options for students who are unable to return home.
On other exciting matters, our MYP students are traveling to Maji Moto Hot Springs today and our Diploma students are engaged in study. For our Kimbilio students, we have wonderful plans to keep them busy and next week our mentoring programme with D1 students with MYP students commences in our Kivuli and Kiongozi houses. I am excited to see day students offering their guidance and our student government are already planning for Sunday activities with Kimbilio – again, fostering a holistic and more engaging environment.
Good luck to all our D2 students for the weeks ahead, you have earned this right to sit these examinations and worked so hard for it. May we be tolerant, caring and mindful during this time.
Simon Johnston – Head of Residential Life
Outdoor Pursuits
The Flatlands Level 4 OP trip returned late Sunday afternoon. 11 students from Arusha and Moshi walked in the WMA around Lake Burunge and Lake Manyara. They camped beside a lake full of flamingos and walked through wildebeest, zebras and giraffes. A great time was had by all.
MYP News
The students are keeping active in MYP. As we try our best to stay dry we are hard at work in all subjects. We have a lot going on in the coming weeks and I will continue to provide a list of events in each newsletter.
M3 – May 5,6 and 7 – Class Trip-Head of towards Arusha to experience Tanzanian Arts, crafts and culture.
M4 – June 2, 3 and 4 – Final Exams- to be held in room 32; Students are to be on campus the full day.
M1 to M4 – June 14, 15 and 16 – Focus Days – Students will engage in various “Hands On” projects on campus the entire day.
June 17– Secondary Sports Day
For the M5:
May 26, 27, and 28 – Final Exams -to be held in room 32. The students are expected to arrive at the normal time and stay the full day.
May 31, June 1 and 2 – Focus Days – Students will experience the joy of “behind the scenes” theater production as they work in the art department designing, creating and constructing the props, set and costumes for the school play.
June 3 – Ceremony preparation and practice- (we may need donations to personalize the ceremony decorations)
June 4 – 10:30 AM students enter Rafiki hall to decorate the hall for the afternoon’s ceremony
3:00 – 4:30 – M5 Ceremony followed by reception of coffee and cake
Jeanne Aman – MYP Coordinator
From the Counselor
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
With our last full month of school starting next week this is a time of year that is full of excitement and emotional roller coasters. Emotions are running high as individuals deal with an array of situations. From students preparing for exams, to end of year celebrations beginning with D2 graduation later this month, our students (staff, and families) will experience an array of feelings that will mostly be able to be managed using typical coping skills. However, there are times when emotions can get the best of us, or someone is dealing with a mental illness that makes it difficult for them to regulate the way they feel. During the month of May, we will be educating the community on issues related to mental health in order to build awareness, limit the stigma, and provide resources to help everyone thrive through this thing called life.
Do you know the difference between mental health and mental illness? This is an important starting point for this month of awareness building. Please take a look at this chart and begin discussions about where you and your loved ones may fall. Bear in mind that in highly stressful times, like those that are caused by high stakes testing or a global pandemic, it is essential that we are continually checking in on our own mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of those we care for.
A key way to begin to build mental health awareness is to compare it to how we treat people with a physical illness.
We will delve deeper into this topic throughout the month, and welcome any insights that you have to share to help build awareness and support each other.
COMING NEXT WEEK: D1 (and M5) Parent Meeting on 5 May 2021 to begin exploring the forthcoming college planning process and application steps. Please attend if you are able as we lay out some of the essential information that will help you, and your child, prepare for the upcoming application process. Please see more information about this event and how to join on this link.
At this time we are in the process of scheduling a slew of virtual visits and presentations that you can prepare for via our Upcoming Visits List. Please continue to review the list and sign up to attend one or two that interest you. Then continue to talk with your child about what you learned and how this might apply to their post-secondary plans. We look forward to receiving and reviewing the plan drafts that all D1 were expected to submit by 30 April. Ask your D1 student about their plan, and have them share it with you as well.
What a great way to start off Mental Health Awareness Month by reviewing some of the resources that we have compiled in the COVID-19 Counselor Resources. We all have challenging times in life, but it is great to know that you are not alone, and that there are people there to care and support.
Take care and stay well,
UWCEA School Counseling Team
PYP News
Mr. Morley reminded the children about cool calm kids in our Friday primary gathering. The three steps the children were reminded of were:
Stop it I don’t like it.
Stop it Now or I will tell the teacher
I’m going to tell the teacher Now.
Let us all work together to remind our students these steps.
Stay Cozy movie night was a great success. Thank you to all who helped organise it. Thank you to all who participated and helped raise funds for the Simba Foundation.
Don’t miss this opportunity to sign up your child for UWCEA’s Got Talent Show brought to you by the Student Government. You are also very welcome to come and watch these talented students on the 7th of May from 4:00-6:00pm.
P1s completed their Giraffe pictures and they look stunning. The used oil pastels, blue paint and markers. It took them two days to complete them. You can see them in our glass display case. We will be adding to these as we create more crafts in the coming weeks. Next week, we will be listening to all the Elmer books and looking at how the illustrator created the pictures of Elmer. EC will use a template to create their own patterns.
We had a wonderful gathering this week. Mr. Ben reminded us about Cool Calm Kids. Please take time in the coming week to talk to our students about this. I have sent a copy of the PPT which you can use. Well done Marina, Nicholas and Shanice for your leaves this week.
This week, the children have been dancing to different songs. They are thinking of choosing one to dance to during one of our gatherings. Please keep on giving them time to dance at home.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P2/3 Class
This week, the P2/3 children have been diligently looking at their modes of transport that they would like to research. The students have chosen a range of modes of transport that they have inquired into, the timelines for these will be found in our classroom next week.
For the next couple weeks, our mathematical focus will be on memorizing multiplication facts, solving simple word problems, and starting to think about what measurement is.
We will be starting our new unit of inquiry sometime next week, so please look forward to some long term home learning coming your way by the end of next week.
Elisha Jaffer
P4 Class
The class was disappointed to know that next week will be the wrap up of our Endangered Animals unit. Students have enjoyed digging into information about the animals they’ve chosen for their report. We will devote a lot of class time next week to writing the reports and creating dioramas. We would like to invite parents to come to our class on Friday at 12 in order for the class to showcase their work! Please join us and learn more about animals in the wild that need our help.
We finished our focus on Fractions this week and spent a few classes becoming familiar with the concept of equivalent fractions and adding fractions with like denominators. We will work on division next week and the 8 times tables. In Language, we will be focusing on complex sentences and the Spelling patterns are silent letters like ‘ph.’
Kacey Buckley
P5 Class
The P5 class were busy learning about how hurricanes develop last week. The photo shows the children working with water to see whether the eye of the storm or the eyewall is stronger. In the coming week they will choose a natural hazard to research (tsunami, avalanche, flood, wildfire, blizzard) and will research it independently. They will then present to their classmates. In maths the children have been working on fractions and will move on to decimals. The plaster model volcanoes are drying and will be painted shortly. Please encourage your child to take part in the UWCEA’s Got Talent (7th May). If you email me their names I will sign them up.
Deborah Mills
P6 Class
I had a great week back with the P6 Class. They worked hard this week to keep their Exhibition work moving forward. I am impressed with their skills and all the research they each have completed. Now it is time to get all their choices complete and ready for presenting. Today they completed check lists of what needs to happen for each choice. These are to be kept in their blue folder to travel back and forth from home to school.
Please consider helping the P6 class by donating goods to make their action a success. Kairi would like to collect items for an animal shelter such as towels, blankets, and food bowls. Kamili would like to gather items to go to a refugee camp with one of our older students. She is gathering toys, clothing, and stationary. Izzy is needing participants for her fashion show to show off the wide variety of traditional cultural dress at the school. Please help them turn these ideas into a reality.
