International School Moshi Arusha Campus News - 4th September 2009
Director Meeting
There will be an opportunity to meet with the Director onThursday, 10th September at 1.30 pm. All parents are welcome.
US Embassy Consular Services
The Consular Section of the Embassy of the United States in Dar es Salaam announces an outreach trip to the American Communities in Arusha and Moshi.. Staff from the Consular Section will host a Town Hall meeting for all Americans as follows: Town Hall Meeting Arusha/Moshi
Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 3:30 p.m .
Location: International School Moshi (Arusha Campus)
Consular Staff will also be providing American Citizen Services at the following locations and times:
ISM Arusha Campus: Tuesday, September 15; 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
ISM Moshi Campus: Wednesday, September 16; 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Consular services available include passport renewal, addition of passport pages, birth registration, and notarial services. More information is available from .
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan will begin in about one week's time. We need to be aware that during this time some Muslim students in the school will be fasting. At the end of Ramadan there is a national holiday of two days - Idd el Fittr - which is declared once the new moon has been sighted. So that ISM families can plan their time well, the school will recognise Monday, 21st September and Tuesday, 22nd September as the Idd holiday and we will hold no classes on those days. We will not change these plans if the government announces different dates for the Idd holiday. There will be classes as normal on Wednesday, 23rd September.
Dates to remember
Wednesday, September 9 - M5 Leadership Symposium
Thursday, September 10 - M5 Leadership Symposium
Friday, September 11 - M5 Leadership Symposium
Saturday, September 12 - OP Level 1 - Pares
Sunday, September 13 - OP Level 1 - Pares
Thursday, September 17 - U16 football/netball v Braeburn @ ISM
Friday, September 18 - Secondary Sports Day (Moshi)
Monday, September 21 - Idd el Fittr
Tuesday, September 22 - Idd el Fittr
Thursday, September 24 - U10 football/netball @ SCIS
Saturday, September 26 - Interschool Athletics (Arusha)
Wednesday, September 30 - ABRSM theory exams
Saturday, October 3 - U16 football/netball @ Braeburn
Monday, October 5 - World Teacher's Day
Friday, October 9 - End Quarter 1
Wednesday, October 14 - Nyerere Day Holiday
Regards
Adrian Moody Head of Campus
Secondary News
OP: M1 doing the outdoors!
The first outdoor pursuit activity of the school year was successfully completed by eighteen M1 students last weekend. Accompanied by Charles Schofield and Carl Love from Arusha, all adults associated with the trip were extremely impressed by the adventurous and respectful nature of everyone on this trip.
Co-curricular Activities
Co-curricular activities began this week. In this newsletter, you will find further information. Remember that students must be in appropriate athletic kit during sporting activities and that activities that are outside require a hat!
Health and Social Education
The Areas of Interaction (AOI) in the MYP provide a tool for students to make links between subjects and thus provide a framework for inquiry and creative thought. Health and social education is one AOI and help students see the relevance of what they study to a healthy life. One important aspect of healthy living is living and collaborating with others. Last Tuesday September 1, under the guidance of Charles Schofield, students were split up into yellow, green and blue teams. Mr. Schofield and Andrew Van der Meulen then initiated group activities which challenged the three teams to communicate, collaborate and make decisions effectively. Lots of laughs and an opportunity for all of us to see the complexity of performing as a real team.
Creativity
The IB continuum workshop last Wednesday morning on the IB continuum brought together parents and teachers in a discussion of how the three IB programmes complement each other. One of the items examined and discussed was creativity.
Creativity is perhaps misunderstood. Some myths of creativity are:
1. That creativity is just ideas (more than brainstorming).
2. Some people are born creative and some are not.
3. Creativity is confined to the Arts.
That creativity is just ideas - creativity is more than brainstorming; it involves coming up with innovative ideas and putting them to use in the world - aesthetically or otherwise. A creative idea has to be followed through and actually useful!
Some people are born creative and some are not - there are degrees of creativity and we can say that some people become more creative than others. Thinking and acting creatively involves practise and a special outlook on knowledge. Those who are creative are simply those who are more at ease with uncertainty and are less likely to conform to rigid ways of doing and thinking about things.Creativity is confined to the Arts - absolutely not! Who can deny that Albert Einstein, Bill Gates and the designers of the Arusha campus were all creative people!!
Leadership Symposium
On Wednesday 9 September until Friday 11 September, M5 students from both campuses are invited to attend the ISM's annual Leadership Symposium. This two-day event aims to introduce and develop relevant themes within the area of leadership. We expect it will provide a challenging opportunity for M5 students to learn and practise leadership skills.
The symposium will offer students a variety of activities, from small-group "hands-on" workshops to whole-group plenary talks, which present variations on the same theme: being successful leaders and team-members. In addition, there will be an orientation to boarding at ISM's Moshi campus, social opportunities for students from each campus to mix with the other, and sport and game activities. Students will leave Arusha campus at 1430 and travel by bus to Moshi. They will be chaperoned by Éanna O'Boyle and Charles Schofield. Upon arrival, they will join the Moshi M5 students and stay in ISM's special boarding house, Kishari House, which is usually reserved for visiting schools. Students will stay in bedrooms and tents at this house, which is just off the Moshi campus. Students will have meals in the dining halls at ISM, with a special restaurant dinner on Thursday night. Students will leave Moshi on Friday morning to arrive at the Arusha campus in time for the usual 2:00 pickup. Permission forms were given to M5 students today, Friday 4 September.
Regards
Éanna O'Boyle Head of Secondary
Primary News
From the classrooms
Early Childhood: We would like to welcome all EC parents to the classroom for an orientation, open morning meeting with Samantha on Thursday 10th September at 8.00am in the classroom During this meeting you will gain a clear understanding of routines and classroom organisation. You will learn more about the units of inquiry as well as the differentiated program that your children will be participating in.
P1/2: This week the students have been exploring the different ways they express their ideas and feelings through the arts, in their writing, during PE and in music. They have particularly enjoyed making connections between their speaking, writing and reading through the use of their poetry cards and home reading program.
P3/4: We read for enjoyment, instruction and information. Reading helps us to understand and clarify our ideas, feelings, thoughts and opinions. Literature helps us to understand ourselves and others and has the power to influence and structure thinking.
"Reading is gathering meaning from text".
Children in Early Childhood - P3 classes are learning to read. They are developing and identifying strategies which will help them to read and understand different types of texts.
In P4 - 6 student are reading to learn. They should be able to apply reading strateiges to help them read and attemp ativities independently.
In our continued attempt to encourage a love of reading in students, teachers are sending books home that students should be able to read on their own. Specifically in P3/4, students have taken home a handout for parents outlining " How to help your child at home with reading - Helpful tips for parents" A basic guide to help you interpret the helpful tips for parents packet is:
Role Play Reading - generally infant to 3 year olds.
Experimental Reading - generally 3-5year olds.
Early Reading - generally 5 - 7 year olds
Transitional Reading - generally 7 - 9 year olds
Independent Reading - generally 9 - 12 year olds.
If you would like your own packet of helpful tips please come and get one off the table outside my room.
P5/6: During each unit of inquiry our students share 'What they know' 'Ask questions in order to gain an indepth understanding of the central idea and lines of inquiry' and then go about using different transdisciplinary skills to find answers to explain their understandings and consolidate their findings by making connections to other subject disciplines. This week students shared what they already know about how different communitites and groups establish rules by which they operate. Through use of books, internet, parents and teachers, students were able to talk confidently about: Socialism, Communism, Facisim, Democracy, Monarchy, Dictatorship, Theocracy. This week the students are looking at commonatilies between systems specifically the ICTR unit and local Massai. This investigation will include a class trip to ICTR and a local Massai village.
International Literacy Day - Tuesday September 8th
International Literacy Day is a grassroots event involving people of all ages and backgrounds right around the world. At ISMAC we would like to celebrate this day by inviting parents into school betweem 1.50 and 2.30pm to read to their childs class - or other classes as well. You could share your favorite childhood book, share a book you enjoy, share an author you like and why or read a book in your mother tongue language the choice is endless! This is yet another wonderful opportunity for our students to recognise and appreciate different literature styles, forms, texts and structures. If you are able to read to a class/es please sign up on the whiteboards outside the classrooms.
Regards,
Betty Brown Head of Primary and PYP Coordinator
Parent Workshop - IBO Continuum
We would like to thank those parents who attended our first parent workshop for the year. Our Objectives were:
1. To identify the connections between the 3 IBO programmes.
2. To explain the process of curriculum development.
3. To make connections between the IBO & ISM Mission Statements.
We achieved these objectives by classifying terminology used and underpinning philosophies between each of the porgrammes: Primary Years Programme
(P.Y.P), Middle Years Programme (M.Y.P) Diploma Programme (D.P). By discussing and pasting terms under either PYP, MYP or DP, we began to appreciate how the three programmes complement each other as well as highlight the progression of learning from the PYP right through to the DP. We were able to answer questions, clarify understandings and share educational understandings through the use of a video presentation by Sir Ken Robinson who emphasized the nature of intelligence and the importance of teaching for creativity. Upon reflection and through discussion we had the opportunity to share our understandings and perspectives on education and the importance of fostering 'creativity' in our students. We were able to make the connection between our school's mission statement 'International School Moshi inspires individuals to be lifelong learners in a global community' and the IBO mission
statement in order to gain a deeper understanding of 'how' and 'why' we teach the way we do. The nature of the lively discussions in this workshop were in
themselves indicative of the sort of inquiry and questioning that we encourage in your children!
OUTDOOR PURSUITS
M1 Campcraft
A good time was had by all in Marangu last weekend.
Mandara Hut Kilimanjaro - November 1-2, 2009 - Level 1
The trip is aimed at OLDER STUDENTS and M1's that did well on the campcraft trip and want to get involved in OP. It will be a 2 day trip walking up to first hut on the Marangu Route. Spend the night there, then return the next day.
2nd Hut Meru - November 7-9, 2009 - Level 2
This trip involves climbing up to the 2nd hut on Meru, which is a little bit steep, and then up Little Meru 3801m. You must have successfully completed a level 1 trip in order to go on this trip.
Rongi Route Kilimanjaro - November 13 -16, 20 - Level 4
This will be a camping trip on Kilimanjaro. Students MUST have successfully completed a level 3 trip in order to go on this trip. We will ascend up the north side of Kili on the first two days, before coming over the saddle and descending down the Marangu Route. Great views of Kibo and Mawenzi if no rain!
Base of Mawenzi Level 3 - November 20-23, 2009 - Level 3
This is a level 3 trip, which involves the first day climbing to Mandara, the second day climbing to Horombo and the third day going on a day walk up to the base of Mawenzi, before returning to Horombo for the night. You must have successfully completed a level two trip (or are an older student new to ISM and had no problems on level one).
Uhuru Peak - November 25-29, 2009 Level 5
In order to attend this trip you must have successfully completed a level four trip already, preferably Socialist Peak. This 5 day trip is hard and very cold!
Quarter 1 Sports Fixtures
DATE
AGE
EVENT
VENUE
VS.
TIME
Thu Sep. 17
U16
Football & Netball
ISM Big Pitch
Braeburn
3:15
Thu Sep. 24
U10
Football & Netball
SCIS
SCIS
3:00
Sat Sep. 26
11-16
Interschool Athletics
ISM Big Pitch
Interschool
8:30
Sat Oct. 3
U16 Football & Netball
Braeburn
Interschool
9:00
Fri Oct 9
Whole school Athletics Morning
Inter house
8:00
Quarter 2 Sports Fixtures
DATE
AGE
EVENT
VENUE
VS.
TIME
Thu. Oct. 29
U12
Football & Netball
Braeburn
Braeburn
3:00
Thu Nov 5
U16
Football & Netball
ISM Big Pitch
SCIS
3:15
Dec 11-13
Moshi Sports Weekend
ISM Moshi
Interschool
Fri-Sun
Fri Dec 18
Whole school swim gala
Pool
Inter house
8:00
SELECTION: Is based on age, commitment to team training and/or appointment by team coach.
UNIFORM: Team members representing ISM must be in ISM PE kit or team uniform as supplied by the team coach.
AGE: Is as of September 1st 2009. For example U12's must be under 12 yearsold as of September 1st 2009.
TIME: Weekday fixtures are on Thursdays from 3:15-4:15pm. When these fixtures are away at another school we leave at 3pm and return by 4:30pm.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ( CCAs )
Quarter 1 Activities started on Monday and continue for the next four weeks. Instructors will be taking attendance and reporting 2 consecutive absences.
Activities run Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:40 - 3:20pm. A ten minute transition time at the start and end is included
The canteen is closed before and during activities but will re-open at 3:20
Children not signed up for an activity must make alternative arrangements so they are not left unsupervised. For example, they should be picked up as normal
Children are not permitted to be on campus during CCA times unsupervised
Individual music lessons will continue to be offered at school, however they are no longer a part of the CCA program
Students must be in appropriate athletic kit during sporting activities
Activities that are outside require a hat
Session Dates
Quarter 1 Activities start Monday August 31– Wednesday September 30 - 5 weeks
Quarter 2 Activities start Monday November 2– Wednesday December 3 - 5 weeks
Quarter 3 Activities start Monday February 1– Wednesday March 3 - 5 weeks
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