Looking at the events below you can see the diversity of events and people in our community. Our visitors this week will be treated to book week and get to see some of the amazing book door covers that are going up as well as see a production of The Wave on Thursday. Through the week the representatives from different UWC schools, National Committees and International Office will have the opportunity to tour our campus and interact with students and others.
Beyond this week we have some additional events as listed below including International Day and a community concert. We hope to see you at both.
This week the secondary students also had a short assembly to look at the current facts we know about COVID-19, how it is spread and how to prevent the spread. While we know of no incidents in Tanzania, the basic methods to prevent the spread are common practices to prevent the spread of other germs like those that cause colds, so good practice no matter the situation. Should there at any point be information we need to share, we will be sure to contact parents directly.
On other news, our building project has gone to tender, and we hope to have a contractor soon and be breaking ground in March. It will be tight, but we still hope to have the full project done before we open in August 2020.
Bob Cofer
Upcoming
Book Week
We have a variety of events planned for next week, with the aim of promoting a love of reading. On Monday we will have a Book Week Assembly at 10:30a.m. for which the PYP students should dress as a favourite book character. All students should be sure to participate in the Get Caught Reading photo competition and email entries to jamescarson@uwcea.org (MYP/DP) or kaceybuckley@uwcea.org (PYP). There is also a 100 word short story competition with a deadline of Thursday at 3pm. Classes will be visited by mystery readers throughout the week. There will be Twitter book reviews and, in the PYP, the children will be judging a selection of books to see which one is worthy of the Kilimanjaro Award. You will notice that many of the classroom doors will be decorated as book covers – the winning doors will be announced on Friday. There is a display board on the breezeway near Room 18 that details the events taking place during the week. Happy Reading!
International Day
On Friday March 20th we will have our annual International Day. It will start with an assembly at 11am in K-hall. Students of various ages will be performing, and it will kick off with the parade of flags. After this there will areas around the front of campus with many of our countries represented. The PTA with student and teacher representatives have already started planning these booths. There will be plenty of music, food, activities and costumes to keep you entertained. We welcome everyone to what is sure to be a fun event.
Yesterday afternoon there was a planning session on campus. If you missed this but would like to be involved, please contact the PTA.
Ben’s Corner
On the UWC website, there is a “Life at UWC” section and, in that section, there is a tab that asks “Why study at a UWC school?” It is suggested that one of the reasons should be “Because you care about having a positive impact on the lives of others.” It goes on to share that “If you care deeply about having a positive impact on the lives of others, then you’ll find yourself in good company at a UWC school.”
Each and every week, students, teachers, parents and members of the wider community are living this core value, many of them engaged in Service initiatives. At UWCEA, we strive to give our students the opportunity to interact with the community, we encourage activities within the curriculum, through school trips and through our weekly co-curricular activities.
Our DP students are expected to participate in at least one Service activity on a regular basis throughout their two year programme. All MYP students engage in community and service activities across the school year to develop their appreciation of the school community and beyond. Here, I wanted to highlight that many of our PYP students are also involved in regular Service activities.
This week, our “Community Carers” met as they do every Wednesday. This group of P1 and P2 students is the youngest Service group on the campus. Each week, with the help of Ms Heloise and Mr Emmanuel, they meet to plan, create and implement ideas to show appreciation for those in our community who support us.
They have made and delivered tea and coffee to the front office staff, made crispy cakes for the kitchen staff, painted pictures for the cleaning staff, created “wild weaving” sculptures for the teachers and so on. These little tokens of appreciation have been very warmly received.
Opportunities to engage in meaningful and purposeful Service learning develops a sensitivity to the needs of the community and, in time, society in general, an awareness of the role of the individual within the community and, above all, an altruistic attitude. So, if you are lucky, you might be visited by the “Community Carers” in the near future…if you deserve it!
Ben Morley
Diploma News
It doesn’t seem like only four school days since the long weekend as it been a normal bustle of activity since then with Model United Nations, World Schools Debate Club competition and the OP trip to Usambaras among them.
Students from the Smokeless Kitchen service group are currently building their second prototype kitchen in the staff compound with the support of Masai Solar and Stove. Hopefully we will have photos next week.
Sunday morning will see some of diploma students participating in the 5km or 21km at Kili Marathon and in the evening we have the second cultural night planned with Pakistan, Brazil and Czech Republic being represented.
Next Friday there is the first farmers’ market organised by our D1 Business Students.
In addition to all of this we have the usual classes and assessments going on. The D1 students were introduced to the Extended Essay and will start talking to teachers about their ideas.
Margaret Brunt
East Africa Model United Nations 2020
It has been an exciting week of debate, lobbying and resolution writing at the 38th annual East Africa MUN conference in Nairobi. Last Saturday, 11 Arusha and Moshi students traveled to the capital of Kenya to discuss global politics, economics, human rights, and ecology with over 2,000 students from around the world. The UWCEA students have fantastically represented our school by engaging with fellow delegates in robust debates about issues affecting their generation. For the first time in the history of this conference, students participated in the MUN Refugee Challenge to write resolutions to address the current refugee crisis, the best resolutions will be presented before the actual United Nations to help solve some of the most pressing issues faced by millions of displaced people around the world. The theme of this years conference, “Our Vision, My Mission”, was brought to life on Wednesday morning by an inspiring speech from Joyce Msuya, Deputy Executive Director of the UNEP (UN Environment Programme) and graduate of Weru Weru Secondary School in Moshi! All of the UWCEA delegates showed tremendous determination and growth over the five days, and three of our students were recognized for their excellent contributions to the conference: the Political Committee from Qatar won Best Resolution and Bridget (D1) won Best Speaker for Special Summit. Congratulations to all of them.
Residential Life
Resident students this week have been as involved as ever beginning with a group of older students who left to participate in the Model United Nations Conference in Nairobi on Sunday.
Tuesday saw U9 and U11 students taking part in a cricket competition at Kennedy House and on Wednesday an OP trip departed for the Usambara Mountains. This group is due to return on Saturday.
Friday a meeting took place between staff, students and members of the Parents Committee regarding the forthcoming International Day, due to take place on Friday 20th March on the Green and inside of K-Hall.
Quite a number of students have been hard at work with Mr. Coldwell and Ms. Amaan rehearsing and making preparations for a drama production of ‘The Wave,’ which will be performed during several evening showings next week. We wish everyone involved in this production the very best of luck.
A group of resident students traveled to Arusha Campus on Saturday morning in readiness to take part in a National Debating Competition over this weekend.
A student-led Cultural Night has also been organised for this coming Sunday, during which we will receive presentations from students about the cultures of Pakistan, Brazil and the Czech Republic.
This weekend is also dominated by the Kili Marathon taking place in Moshi early Sunday morning until mid-afternoon. With a number of staff and all of the MYP students taking part in the races we wish them all very best of luck for their runs.
Ian Horne
MYP News
M4 Physics lessons this Week On Tuesday, February 25, M4 students designed an experiment to investigate how the mass of a trolley affects the distance travelled in their Physics class. They conducted their designed experiment and collected data to evaluate and make conclusions. Can they link the results to Newton’s laws?
M5 Work Experience Appeal We are requesting members of our community working in or with organizations/institutions to open their doors to our students as from May 25-29, 2020. The M5 students will be out of campus for Work Experience week. Work Experience is part of our M5 career development requirement programme. The goals of the program include enabling students to:
Take risks in a new and challenging environment;
Work independently;
Interact professionally with adults;
Experience a professional work environment from the perspective of an employee.
In case you can accommodate one or more students please contact me at myp_moshi@uwcea.org.
M5 Timeline Mar 16 ePortfolio subjects deadline March 26 Career Fair April 20-22 On Screen Mock exams (for students registered for IB exams only) May 12-22 IB On screen examinations on various dates (for students registered for IB exams only) May 18-22 UWCEA Moshi campus M5 End Year examinations (for M5 students not registered for IB exams) May 25 – 29 M5 Work experience (All M5 students) June 5 M5 Ceremony
David Ochieng
M1 IDU Trip – Lake Eyasi
Last week, the UWCEA M1 students with their teachers from both Arusha and Moshi Campuses went on a fantastic three-day trip to Lake Eyasi. The trip involved the subjects of Design and Individuals & Societies and focused on the concepts of adaptation and invention. Students explored the lives of two native tribes in Tanzania and how they have adapted to the environment and designed solutions to survive. They completed various activities such as hunting with bow and arrows with the Hadzabe, learning about weapon-making, shelter building, designing jewellery as well as visiting the Datoga to learn about their metalwork.
From the Counselor
Coming back from a wonderful AISA Counselor Institute this weekend in Dar Es Salaam, I couldn’t wait to start using some of the new techniques that I had learned. Beyond additional work on counseling theories and mindfulness techniques, we focused a lot on dealing in family systems and group dynamics. On Thursday, I enthusiastically worked with my M5 Life Skills group on a couple of activities that they were not exactly excited about, but indulged me nonetheless. The first was a muscle relaxation activity that required them to tense up their body slowly, and then allow the tension to melt away one body part at a time (link to sample activity.) The next activity was a bit harder for some, but led to a lot more smiles and connections between students. The students lined up randomly across from each other and were instructed to tell the other person what they appreciate or admire about them. We then moved the line, and had them repeat this with a new random classmate. The smiles grew, and I heard some beautiful sentiments expressed. When we debriefed, they said is was a bit awkward at first, but they appreciated hearing positive feedback from their peers. Don’t we all deserve that from time to time in our lives. Practice giving some positive and affirming feedback this weekend to those in your life.
On the university side, we had a wonderful presentation in M5 Life Skills about the University of Alberta that included an interview with a former ISM student who is in her 2nd year there. Connecting with our alumni to help our current students with their college planning is a wonderful way to stay connected. We also welcomed Mr. Jackson Onganga from EducationUSA Tanzania who came to present important information about applying to universities in the US. He was very informative, and also shared with the students that they should connect with the EducationUSA office in their home country to learn of specific scholarships available to students. Finally, some of our students were able to watch a webinar provided by the ACT about the Timeline for the College Decision for grades 10-12 (M5-D2). This is not just for students, and if you are interested in seeing it as well, please access via the link.
As always, Mr. Kileo (emmanuelkileo@uwcea.org) and myself (cassandraford@uwcea.org) remain available to discuss any concerns you may have about your child’s mental well-being here at school. Wishing you a wonderfully well weekend!
Cassandra Ford
Calling All Community Experts
We are seeking Community Experts to work with our students in a few ways:
1. Participate in our M5 Career Gallery Walk with a short presentation about your career on Thursday 26 March 2. Speciality area speaker for Life Skills classes M1-D2 (variety of topics related to enhancing life at different stages) 3. Career presenters at other times of year (we will include video taped presentations from those of you far away from here)
Please use the link below to submit your information for future contact, and feel free to share with others who you think would be interested but may not receive this newsletter: Link to form: https://forms.gle/wLNB6UFNQ4r861xG8
Sports Update
Congratulations to all our Primary athletes who participated in the Primary Sports Weekend. Special mention goes to our U11 Touch rugby team who, for the second year in a row, won the U11 Touch tournament against some stiff competition from both Dar and Arusha. Also our swimmers were very consistent in the pool and took out 2nd place, only narrowly beaten by Morogoro who have a very big, enthusiastic and vocal swim team. A huge thank you to all the parents, students, teachers, coaches and facilities staff who made it possible to host the largest Primary Sports Weekend that Moshi has ever held. An amazing job.
Our U9 & U11 cricketers have started their season and are improving at a fast rate. They had their first friendly tournament at Kennedy House last Wednesday and learnt a lot about the game. U9 managed to win one and lost the other a great effort considering all students are new to cricket.
Helpers needed!
Next week we have the Primary and Secondary swim meets in Arusha on the 6th and 7th of March. We would be very grateful if anyone could help with timing or chaperoning for one or both of these events.
We also have the MYP Swim Gala taking place on Tuesday the 10th of March from 8am to 11.15am and the Primary Swim Gala on Wednesday 18th of March from 9am to 1pm where we will be celebrating all the effort and learning in swim classes this year. Again we are in need of assistance to help make these events a success.
Last weekend 12 swimmers, under the care of Jenny Renju and Coach Sabini, flew to Dar to participate in the challenging (and very hot) swimming competition run by TALISS at the IST Masaki Campus. There was some tough competition – as always – but, our small but strong team did us proud! There were many pb’s made and a total of 10 medals won!! Well done to the Team and again, a big ‘thank you’ to Jenny and Coach Sabini for accompanying them.
Coach Charles is offering free group lessons for Tennis for P3 and P4 students on Mondays at break time and for P5 and P6 students on Tuesday at break time. If your child is interested in this, then please contact Mr Marsh as there is a limit to the number of students who can take part. He is also running group lessons on Tuesday from 3-4pm and Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am for TSH 10,000/sessions/participant. If your child would like private lessons they are available as well for TSH20,000 per session. Please contact Charles on 0757606766 if you are interested in the group or private sessions.
Go Leopards Robin Marsh
PYP News
In our Primary Gathering the P5 students shared an interesting presentation on different body systems. Thank you for that. The Service Club extended their love to all the teachers. They presented the teachers with beautiful crafts to acknowledge their hard work. The KCMC club has been adorning jars using different materials to share the love with the nurses and doctors in the Orthopedic department. Way to go UWCEA!
I wish you all a lovely weekend and hope to see you in school for the different Book Week activities.
Cathy Wambua-Saha
EC Class
PYP teachers recognise that summative assessments can happen throughout a unit, and not merely at its end. This week’s whole-class ‘mini-summative’ showed that the children are progressing well in their understanding of the senses.
All children know the five main senses. They understand some of the ways in which they use them in everyday life, including their importance in keeping us safe (from hot, cold, bad food, injury and the like).
Most children understand that the senses can also complement each other and that each is related to an input type (light, sound, physical change) that then links to the brain, where these inputs are made sense of. They are able to describe the action of the pupil in terms of light conditions and can identify parts of the body that are the most and least sensitive to touch. They can name and recognise some basic tastes that are found in our taste buds.
Several children can describe the inputs in terms of vibrations and sound waves in hearing, including naming the ear-drum as a sensory receiver. They are able to describe the action of nerves in a simple way as they transmit signals through pathways to the brain. They have begun to understand the action of tiny particles in the air that stimulate our sense of smell.
Next week is book week. Monday will be a ‘dress up’ day. Please send the children dressed as a favourite book character for our whole school assembly.
Owain Evans
P 1/2 Class
We spent this past week looking through videos of animals that live in the Antarctic. The children completed a fun book listing some of these animals as well as illustrating them in their sketchbooks. They also carried out their own research on YouTube Kids, looking for animals that live in the desert. During all this work, they asked important questions about how the animals survive in these conditions. Next week, we will be looking at how we as humans can live in different types of climates.
Book week is here and we are so very excited. Thank you to all who have planned to come in and surprise us with a great story. The children were busy completing their book cover this week for the door and we will put it up Monday morning. Just to say that Mo Willems remains to be our favourite author. We will be dedicating some time this book week to learn more about him.
Mboka Mwasongwe
P3 Class
P3 has spent this week continuing with their research projects on a modes of transport. The students have managed to complete their models, and most of the research is now finished as well. This means they’ll be spending next week creating their presentations to showcase their learning. It’s my hope that by Friday, we’ll have a product to share with the greater community.
The students have also been practicing multiplication. They’ve completed a chart that has multiplication tables from 1 – 12 so that answers can be checked easily while playing games. The students then completed different worksheets to continue working on the different multiplication strategies.
A reminder that next week is Book Week. I have emailed a sheet to sign up on should you like to be a mystery reader. Monday is dress up like a book character day, so please help your child figure out a book character outfit!
Elisha Jaffer
P4 Class
This week we had to be resilient researchers as we inquired about inventors and created timelines. It took quite a bit time to organise our ideas. We are using the tool www.timetoast.com to find out about our chosen area of interest. We further developed in self-management and communication skills as we worked through some of the Book Week activities. The children reflected on how challenging it was, to work collaboratively, as they planned on what to do for their “door-book cover competition.” We have started the Kili Book Award and the stories we have read so far are all amazing. We look forward to voting for our favorite book next week.
We hope to see many of you in next week, as Mystery Readers. Also, don’t forget to send a picture of your child to Ms Kacey as they read in various interesting poses. You will find more information in the Book Week section.
Cathy Wambua-Saha
P5 Class
The P5 had a fabulous week of learning! They completed their posters to present their knowledge of the human body, created and performed a skit for the PYP Gathering, and made a door cover decoration for a favorite book that we read earlier in the year. The class chose Charlotte’s Web as their door cover project. They worked amazingly well together with cooperation and positive communication.
The Gathering performance was top notch, will all ideas coming from the class. The class created the outline of the human body yesterday, which also involved great teamwork and communication. The rest of the PYP enjoyed the interactive experience of seeing blood pump through the circulatory system.
Next week is Book Week! The P5 will be visiting other classes to share their love of reading. They chose books today to read to the EC- P3 classes. We are still looking for Mystery Readers to come in and share a book. Karibu! On the 12th of March we will be hosting the P5 from Arusha for a slumber party at Kishari House. Permission slips will go home next Monday.
Sarah Brummel
P6 Class
The children are well underway with their research and have met their mentors. We are very grateful to Laura Tarimo, Owain Evans, Ngomi and Selma Kamm, Margaret Brunt, Zoe MacIvor, Jenny Renju, Kacey Buckley and Sarah Brummel for giving up their time to support the children in their endeavours. Next week the children will be contacting experts in the field to interview and will start arranging field trips. We have Book Week next week which is a highlight on the school calendar. The children should come to school dressed as a book character on Monday ready for assembly. We are looking forward to some mystery readers coming into class to share a book. Thank you to those who have signed up – we still have space on the schedule for more! P6 are continuing their maths work on data handling and are constructing and interpreting graphs. Please note there are plenty of maths challenges that have been assigned on Mangahigh.com that will help keep maths skills sharp.
