Moshi Campus News – 30 Nov 2019

On Friday we held our memorial to Faith Yona, more details of which are below. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this event.

While last weekend was dominated by sports, this weekend has a more balanced approach.  We have primary football, a secondary outdoor pursuits trip to Mount Hanang and a large number of our residential students are heading to Arusha to visit the holiday fair. 

It seems odd to say holiday fair as that reminds us that we have three weeks left in the semester.  Please remember that we do have three weeks left and from discussions with teachers there is still a lot of learning to be packed into that time.

Another thing that we also have ahead of us it looks like is more rain. I was just looking at the forecast for the next 10 days and thunderstorms came up listed for each day.  As there seems little we can do to change the weather, I suggest we plan for those sudden showers and patches of mud.  At least it is a little cooler and less humid after the rain.

Monday December 9th is Independence Day here.  This is a national holiday so there are no classes that day.

Bob Cofer

Please join us Tuesday at 6:30pm for the annual PTA AGM. Anna and I will be there as well to discuss the past year and the future plans.  We look forward to seeing you then.

Bob Cofer

Did you know that 3/4s of premature deaths could be prevented with proper care?

On Friday, 13th December, a premature birth awareness event will take place in K-Hall from 8:00am to 12:30pm

This event is meant to raise money for the less fortunate who cannot afford money for treatment of their young premature babies.

At the event there will be food, paintings being sold, games and plenty to do. Entry is free, however a ticket to play a game costs 500tsh, and with this you can stand a chance to win a huge prize. Remember to bring money and be ready to participate in a variety of activities. Parents, teachers and students are all welcome!

Today we had our student led Memorial celebration of Faith Yona’s time here.  We were joined by her family as we listened to friends, teachers and coaches talk about what Faith had meant to them.  Thank you to everyone who planned, set up, performed or spoke at the celebration today.

There is a condolences book in the front office for anyone who wants to add a message for the family.

One of the many benefits of being a “through school” is the countless opportunities this presents for students of all ages to interact and learn from, with and alongside each other. The P5 class has recently completed a Unit of Inquiry on migration, exploring the Central Idea that “Human migration is a response to challenges, risks and opportunities.” Their collective inquiry investigated the history of migration, how migration has created diversity and, in turn, why diversity enriches societies.

As part of their learning, they invited the Diploma students to their class and interviewed them about their own migration stories. I was lucky enough to be an observer in some of these interviews and it was a truly enriching experience.

The Primary students asked a plethora of considered and insightful questions, including:

• What is a new opportunity that you have here that you did not have in your previous home?
• What did you feel when you left the place where you were born?
• What was the biggest risk you took moving to East Africa?
• What was a challenge you faced when you migrated?
• What was the biggest adventure of your migration?

The responses of the Diploma students to these and many other questions were often revealing, fascinating and a true insight into the power and significance of our UWCEA community. At the same time, it is a reminder of some of the challenges and frustrations many of our students face upon arrival in a new place.

I wanted to share some extracts of these conversations with you here:

“I was looking forward to meeting interesting people from different cultures and exploring the world with them.”
“I had to start speaking English almost 24 hours a day and I found it difficult to express what I was thinking in my head.”
“In my last school, I didn’t have all the activities that I have here that I love.”
“This school is full of nature and my last school was just a building.”
“A good part of my migration was getting to learn more about countries in East Africa, getting to meet new people but a bad part was leaving home when I was still young. I was very, very homesick for a while.”
“I came here to study but also to be a part of the community of UWC.”
“I think I am in the process of changing and I am discovering areas of myself that I didn’t know.”

Thank you Ms Sarah, Ms Lydia, Ms Abby, the P5s and the DP students for making this possible. What a special school we all live and learn in.

Ben Morley

Bringing more than just flowers into our community. 

As a community we would like to say a big thank you to so many of our parents, for stepping in and getting involved in a myriad of school activities.  Specifically, in this newsletter we would like to thank Gelske.  In recent months Gelske and her family have provided beautiful flowers for important events and moments in our school’s life.  Most recently her flowers and creativity have brightened up our halls in both joyous and heart-breaking occasions.  We also recognise her drive and coordination to fully establish our farmers market, bringing local grown and made products to our doorstep.   As a small community we are always amazed by the generosity of parents with their time and efforts.  And like many of our parent community, Gelske’s willingness and readiness to always volunteer have been truly appreciated.  Thank you for your generosity and kindness.

This has been an intense week for Diploma Students. The D2 students have been meeting deadlines for their IAs and need to start preparing for the mock examinations that take place after the Christmas holiday. For D1 students there are many assessments coming up as their first reports will be issued at the end of the semester.

About 10 D1 students are heading off on the Level 3 Mount Hanang trip this weekend and the following weekend some of them will be going on a Level 1 Cycling trip. It is good to see so many of them involved in these trips.

During mentor time over the next two weeks students will be given time to work on their CAS portfolio, this is a record of what they have achieved in Creativity, Activity and Service.

This week has seen two visits from Canadian with Carleton representatives talking to a small group of students over lunch on Wednesday and a larger group listening to a presentation by University of Alberta on Friday. This weekend is a crunch time for some of the D2 students with some application deadlines of December 1st.

On the 13th December we will have a blood drive in school. Students who are over 18 are allowed to donate and students who are 16 or 17 are allowed to donate with parental permission. The consent form will be sent to students and they can forward it to their parents if they wish to donate, please complete it and send a scanned version to me.

Margaret Brunt

In the beginning of November, a small group of students had the chance to write history by attending the first Water OP-trip ever organised by UWC East Africa.

After more than 9 hours in an overheated bus, it was a relief to see the azure blue ocean waiting for us and we couldn’t be more excited to start exploring.

The four days that followed included observing the beauties of the ocean life, burning (no matter how much sunscreen we used), playing volleyball, swimming through mangroves, screaming when getting another wound after standing on oysters, trying to flip each others kayaks, complaining when we heard that we had to do the dishes and smiling all day, every day.

The overall feeling was like a holiday, even though the teachers made us work hard and the exhaustion was clearly noticeable during the mornings, when no one wanted to wake up. However, after beholding the ocean and hearing about the program every day, the enthusiasm took control and the shared experiences made us as a group come closer.

Altogether, nobody returned unscathed, but it is the wonderful memories that count, not the amount of cuts we got.

For this newsletter article it seemed only fitting to forego my usual re-counting of the past week’s events in Residential Life, and in turn to express my sadness at the sudden and very sad loss of one of our D2 Resident Students Faith Yona.

Our residential community is still coming to terms with the death of Faith who is sorely missed by all who knew and came into contact with her. Faith’s out-going and friendly personality was an asset to both the school and Residential Life communities and we will always remember Faith for her beautiful smile.

Residential students have been at the forefront of the arrangements for Faith’s Funeral in Arusha and her Memorial Service here in school. Throughout this time of grieving I have been so impressed with the mature way in which our Resident Students have come together, and have collectively supported both each other and our Residential Staff through some extremely sad moments.

A few days after the loss of Faith I travelled with a small number of Residential Staff and Students, many whom were very close friends of Faith’s, to Faith’s family home to offer my condolences to her family.

Around 70 Resident Students plus a large contingency of Staff also travelled to celebrate Faith’s life and support her family during her funeral service in Arusha.

Today Faith’s Memorial Service took place in school which proved to be a very moving occasion, also attended by Faith’s family. Resident students played key roles in the service which included, poems, orchestra music, singing and eulogies by staff and close friends of Faith’s.

The resident students are still planning ways in which they could create a more permanent memorial within the school campus to remember Faith and to celebrate her life and times at our school.
Time might make the loss of Faith a little easier to bear for her family and friends, but her legacy lives on and she will never be forgotten.

Ian Horne

M5 Personal Project
The M5 students have just submitted their first Personal Project draft reports. Their supervisors will be giving their feedback in this coming week.

IDU Trip
The M4 students have just come back from their Math and Science trip to West Kili. Although the weather was wet, students had a very educationally enriching experience in the company of their teachers.

Parent Teacher Conference
The Parent teacher conference is slated for Friday December 20. Parents and/or guardians are encouraged to come and discuss their children’s progress. Details on how to book appointments will be communicated soon.

Service in the MYP

The MYP groups made a presentation of their service projects the other week. It was very exciting to see what students have been able to achieve since the beginning of this semester. M1-M3 groups presented on Bee Keeping, KEA school, Community Garden and Day Care Centre projects. M4-M5 students had Pamoja Tunaweza, Eco and Kiladeda presentations.  The Service programs in the MYP not only afford students an opportunity to give back to the community but also reinforce students’ ability to apply multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills. They also allow students to practice 21st century skills needed in the modern work place such as team work (collaboration), communication, reflection, research, critical and creative thinking. These programs also build tenacity, resilience, perseverance and mindfulness as they work towards tight deadlines and relish their successes with moderation.

David Ochieng

In the past eleven weeks, Sparkling Elephant Project has accomplished numerous tasks that have created awareness about elephant conservation within the school and in the general UWC community. The project created and presented a cape to Miss Marsden in front of UWC board members to create awareness about the project and its aim. Apart from that, SEP is on the process of planning a trip back to TIngatinga where the ISM Beehive project was first implemented. It is a great opportunity for team members to learn more about the philosophy and mission of SEP. This trip would not be possible without all the fundraising team members have conducted in the past two quarters and these experiences will help the new SEP members take this project to new heights!

Our group will be joing the December 13th Hash to the Enduiment WMA which is part of the Kitenden wildlife corridor connecting Amboseli and Kilimanjaro National Parks. 

Yuk Yi

Our grieving process continues at different levels and in a variety of ways, and the counseling team continues to be available to support anyone in need at this time. With the memorial service for Faith on Friday, we realize that some people may find themselves returning to previous stages of the grieving process. This is normal, and also a good time to review the ways that grief can be expressed at each developmental level represented in our school population. If you are interested in learning more about how grief is expressed in children across the continuum, please feel free to explore the article in this link for specific examples, and some suggestions for how to help as you guide your child through any grief they may be experiencing from the National Association of School Psychologists.

Tips for Supporting the Grieving Child from Early Years Through Adolescence (Early Years starts at the bottom of page 2)

On a different note, we had the pleasure of welcoming two more universities to our campus this week as our students continue to explore their postsecondary options. Canada was well represented with a visit from Carleton University representative Kelvin Harris on Wednesday during lunch, and University of Alberta representative on Friday morning. Both presentations were well received by students, and continue to help our students consider their wide range of options. One of the highlights of the Canadian presentations has been the opportunity to apply for a three year work permit upon graduation and the Co-op Education program that provides valuable work experience during undergraduate studies. We will continue to explore the world of possibilities in higher education, and parents are always welcome to attend.

As always, Ms. Ford and Mr. Kileo are available for any concerns you may have about your child’s mental and emotional well being. Please don’t hesitate to contact either of us. Wishing you wellness and peace as we continue to grieve and grow as a community.

Cassandra Ford

To a fallen Leopard, Rest in Peace.

Last weekend UWCEA Moshi hosted the epic Sports Weekend, with over 900 students competing in more than 400 sports fixtures, 130 coaches and chaperones, 14 school, 9 different sports, 2 full days of competition and a load of exhausted and smiling faces.  UWCEA Moshi competitors were not playing for victory but instead were playing in honour of their friend Faith Lucky Yona, with the scary goal of playing “like Faith.” For anyone who had the privilege of seeing her play sport you would know that this means playing with fierce determination, uncompromising sportsmanship, skill and an unshakable smile. The Leopards did Faith proud and won the most important trophy of the weekend, the Faith Yona Sportsmanship Award.

Best of luck to our U9 and U11 boys and girls who travel to Kennedy House today to compete in the last NTSAA soccer tournament for the season, we hope they have a great day of games and enjoyment of sport.

Dr Marieke and our school nurse have noticed that there have been several shin injuries as a result of students not wearing shin guards to soccer training and in games.  In order to protect your child our PE staff and Coaches have been told that no student may train or play without having shin guards.  The PE department has a limited supply of guards and can sign out a pair to students through Mr Patrick from the PE store. Thank you in advance for supporting us in keeping your children safe.

Go Leopards
Robin Marsh

Thank you, parents, for gracing the PYP Sharing Assembly with your wonderful presence. It was great getting positive feedback after the presentations and the children were really pleased with themselves. From the poem by the P6s to the Carnival of animals in EC, it was evident that great preparation had gone into the assembly. Kudos to the whole Primary team and parents for helping out.

Over the week I have enjoyed the art done by some of the classes. The P1/2s and their fabric painting and P4s with their tie and dye as well as batik designs have been a highlight for me this week.

In the coming week, we have the P6s going for an overnight camp. We wish them all the best as they extend their learning outside their classroom.

The Primary classes will be starting a new unit and the new inquiries always stir up interesting discussions. Your child may come home with plenty of questions from the discussions. Please feel free to support them by trying to get the answers together, so your child is also part of the process.

Kindly note that Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTCs) are on the 18th of December. Sign up invitations will be emailed to you closer to the time.

Cathy Wambua-Saha

Over the past few weeks, the children have continued to find out more about each other and themselves through play. They’ve extended their learning outside the classroom when we visited secondary classrooms to conduct surveys on pets and try out ways to record with tallying and other marks. They produced small pieces of art on banana leaves and handed them out around school to anyone who looked like they would benefit from a ‘hug’.

The children have been spending large amounts of their exploration time this week producing marks, letters, and words on paper, whiteboard or mini-whiteboard without prompting. It’s great to see them choosing to explore these things together at their various levels of understanding, and it gives us lots of ideas about where to go next. Our ‘Rhyme Time’ visit from Miss Kasey must have really engaged them!

This weeks sharing assembly was a big success. Our EC children were confident, assured and impressive as they made their movements to music in front of a full house. Thanks to Mary for her work in music with the children.

Owain Evans

Thank you to all the parents who came for the PYP sharing assembly. It means a lot to the children when they see your presence and hear your encouragement.

In the coming weeks, our writing pieces will contain our reflections of the semester. We read ‘The Huge Bag of Worries’ by Virginia Ironside and drew out personal worries that have been in our minds. Please take some time to talk to the children at home about them. They need your support to sort through some of them. Next week, we will reflect on and write about situations where we have shown our principled natures. We will share our thoughts with you so you can help check on us at home.

In Math, we have been creating questions and collecting information to create bar graphs. We will take it further now and create pictograms. Learning to make and interpret them is a life skill worth investing in so look for a small home project on Tuesday after they have created their questions.

Mboka Mwasongwe

This week has been dedicated to completing summative assessments and practicing for our PYP Sharing Assembly. Our class has been working on completing their written tasks and summarizing their research. They have worked tirelessly to complete their posters and create models of their cities of choice – Paris and Dar es Salaam. The models have turned out really cool and parents can take a look at them on Seesaw. You can also see pictures of the models on our class SeeSaw account.

Thank you to all the parents who came out and supported us for the Sharing Assembly.

Elisha Jaffer

The P4s worked tirelessly this week on various projects and indeed their hard work paid off. We had some great art work created using the batik technique. A special thanks to Ms Zitha and Ms Sara who worked with the children ensuring that the lesson was a hit. I would also like to acknowledge Mr Owain for supporting the P4s with their skit, as they prepared for the PYP Sharing assembly.

In the coming week we will work on completing our science projects and would like to invite our P4 parents to our Science Fair. This will be on Thursday, December 5th from 7:45a.m.

We will also be starting our new unit on rituals and traditions. The P4s will hopefully be able to get information from home to support the unit.

Kindly diarize the 18th of Dec as the date for Parent-teacher conferences.

Cathy Wambua-Saha

The P5 class is very grateful to have had such support yesterday for our Thanksgiving Feast and Summative Presentations. Thank you parents for coming in to view, play and eat. It was great to have a full house. I hope you enjoyed hearing about the migration paths of so many amazing families. I know you enjoyed playing the board games that were created to illustrate understanding of the risks, challenges, and opportunities found during migrating. We even got to share some dessert and game time with the P6 class.

Next week Abby will be in charge of the classroom. She will be leaving in 2 weeks, and has been an incredible force in our class. She will be introducing the next unit about forces and movement. We will be wrapping up her time here with our camping trip to Uru, and visit to the majestic Mataruni Waterfall. Please look next Monday in their home learning kits for information and a form for you to fill out.

Sarah Brummel

Many thanks to the P5 students for inviting us to share Thanksgiving desserts with them on Thursday and for sharing their migration games with us (see photo.) This week in maths we have been working on different multiplication strategies. We have started our unit of inquiry about plants and their uses. We took some photos of the beautiful flowers on campus as an inspiration for a painting activity – check out our photos on Seesaw. Next week the main event will be our camp at Wildtracks with the P6 class from the Arusha campus (Tuesday 3rd – Wednesday 4th December.) We will look at how coffee is cultivated and processed. We hope to make connections and form friendships with our fellow P6 students, which will stand us in good stead as we get ready for our Exhibition later this school year.

Deborah Mills