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International School Moshi Arusha Campus News - 19th February 2010 |
Dear Parents, Direct from the Director
Dear Parents,Thank you to all of those parents from both campuses who were able to take time to attend our parent information sessions over the last two weeks. This communication is for the benefit of those parents who were unable to attend. It is a review of the information delivered during the sessions. During the course of the first semester we held several parent sessions on both campuses. During those sessions, suggestions were made and questions were asked. These suggestions and questions were recorded and presented to the Governing Board at their December meeting. Some of the key questions required a response from the Governing Board. These questions were; was the Board interested in selling shares in the school to interested parties; was the Board interested in selling any of their hard assets (property) in order to help address the school's financial needs; was the school interested in selling one of our two campuses; was the Board interested in expanding the decision making base to include more direct participation by parents? The Board declined to act on any of these questions at this time as they did not see them as a means to resolving the short term financial needs of the school. The Board did agree with a recommendation from the parents regarding the formation of a committee to develop a long range financial plan. After hours of deliberation during which the above mentioned questions were considered as well as a review of a letter forwarded to the Board, the decision was made to increase the school fees for the coming school year. The new fees and the rationale behind the targeted increases were then published for the school community. The details can be found in the December 18 newsletter on the school website. It was also pointed out during the meeting that International School Moshi Ltd. is a private, nonprofit entity. It was founded by missionary organizations who remain the shareholders and the shareholders appoint the members of the Governing Board. As a private concern, there is no requirement that the Governing Board provide specific details to the school community regarding finances such as the annual balance sheet. Additionally, although they are interested in parental ideas and concerns, these ideas and concerns will not necessarily drive the decisions made by the Governing Board. In short, the responsibility and authority for making decisions regarding policy and financing rests with the Governing Board. The next steps in our movement forward are to organize a strategic planning session which would include the formation of a committee focused on the financial health of ISM. If you should have any questions concerning the above information, please forward them to . We appreciate your continued interest and support and we look forward to future meetings on a broader range of topics. Sincerely, Robert Woods Director General Campus NewsIntentions for the 2010 Academic Year
We have begun the process of planning for the next academic year. Part of this planning is to determine which students are intending to return in the new year. We ask therefore for parents to indicate what their intentions are for their children next year. Parents are required to give notice of withdrawal at least 30 school days (excluding weekends and school holidays) before the child is withdrawn from school. In absence of notice parents are required to pay an additional fee of ½ term's tuition in lieu of notice.ISM International Festival
The International Day will be held this year on the Arusha Campus on Saturday, 13th March from 11 am. It promises to be an extraordinary event. Please keep this day free! For more information on this the day please contact Sue Jones at . See details from Sue later in this newsletter about the international festival and other notices.Maulid Holiday
In order for ISM community to plan their days accordingly, the school will recognize Friday, 26th February as the Maulid holiday, and no classes will be held on that day. This day has been planned in the school calendar as such.Dates to remember
Kilimanjaro Marathon
Don't forget the 8th annual marathon is on 28th February. ISM is putting a team together to raise money to support the scholarship programme. You can either participate in the full marathon, the half or simply be part of the 5km fun run - or walk it if you prefer! All students, teachers, parents and friends of ISM are invited to join Team ISM for a minimum pledge of 20,000/=. The top student fundraiser on each campus wins an ipod shuffle.If you enter you get entry to the race of your choice, transport between the campus and the race start, a free team ISM T-shirt, and breakfast, as well as the satisfaction of giving to a great cause. SIGN UP TODAY! See Charles Schofield or email . Note that higher entry charges may apply for non-Tanzanian residents. Marathon Volunteers needed
TEAM ISM is looking for volunteers to help supervise a water point for the Kilimanjaro Marathon. Please contact Tina on 027 275 1850 or email Scholarship Students
ISM is now seeking two new students to join our D1 class in August as full scholarship students. Applicants must be Tanzanian citizens who have recently completed national Form Four examinations. In order to award the scholarship to the very best students, we are encouraging those with 7, 8 or 9 points in Division One in the Form Four exams to apply. Applications will close on 28th February 2010. Further details are available at http://www.ismoshi.org/scholar.htm. If you know of any suitable candidates, please do encourage them to apply.International Festival 13th March
Organization for the International festival on 13th March on Arusha campus is underway. The aim of the day is to celebrate and learn more about the many and diverse cultures that make up our school community. There will be live performances, music, art, culture and food. There will be an International costume parade in the main hall and a grand finale for the day where we will toast the school and tuck into a large birthday cake to wish ourselves a happy 40th birthday. We will also showcase and give away our first ISM recipe book featuring your family recipes from around the world.The PA is coordinating tents representing different continents/regions of the world. These will be the Americas, Africa, Europe, Australasia, Asia, and the Middle East. We would like to ask you the parents to participate and help create these areas to celebrate and showcase your national costume, food and culture. The day will be free but all food and drink will be charged at cost. Everybody is welcome to bring food from their own culture to sell. All we ask is a minimum donation of 20% from your takings to go towards the costs of the day. If you would like to participate please contact Pauline on tel 0785774773 if you are from the Moshi campus or Joyce Msengi -Mullings or tel 0787516837 if you are on the Arusha campus. If you have an act, idea or any other query regarding the day you can email Sue on tel 0782935608 or pop in to see her at main reception on Arusha campus. It's going to be a great family day for our children to remember. SecondaryPhoto release Forms
Students today received "Photo Release Forms' which are permission forms for publishing images of your children in our school publications. We are making a concentrated effort to communicate to both ISM and the wider community the many activities that take place at our school. This includes publishing information and images on the school website and on Moodle, developing our own publications (such as Parent News, school yearbooks, and Summit magazines), and working with local communities.As you are aware, there are potential dangers associated with the posting of personally identifiable information on a web site since global access to the internet does not allow us to control who may access such information. These dangers have always existed; however, we do want to celebrate your child and his/her activities. We feel obliged to ask for your permission to use information about your child. During the school year there will be opportunities for various students to be photographed and identified by name and class. However, we understand that some parents may request that we do not identify their child or children. Please fill out one form per child informing us of your wishes regarding using their photograph. Please note, however, that your child's image or likeness may appear in occasional candid photos without any type of name identification (for example, in a sporting event). In the form, you are asked to tick a box either giving permission for your child to be photographed/ filmed and identified for use in school publications or instead requesting that we do not photograph your child. Co-Curricular Activities/Sports/Outdoor Pursuits with Charles SchofieldCo-Curricular Activities
There are 2 weeks left in this Quarter 3 session. Activities commence on Wednesday March 3.Sports
14's rugby sevens at St. Constantine's on Monday February 22 at 3pm.16's Boys basketball at ISM on Thursday February 25 vs St. Constantines at 3:15-4:15pm 19's girls basketball play tomorrow at St. Constantines 9-12pm 19's boys basketball play the following Saturday, February 27 at St. Constantines from 9-12pm Anyone interested in running the Kilimanjaro Marathon, Half Marathon or 5km Fun Run should see Mr. Schofield. We will be hosting an interchange with Braeburn and St. Constantines in 8's mixed football from 3:15pm-4:15pm on Wednesday March 3 at ISM primary pitch. Team training for the March 13 swim gala is Mondays from 12:20-12:50. 16's mixed Volleyball Tournament Saturday March 20 at Braeburn. Quarter 3 ends with a half day of House Ball Games from 8-12 on Friday March 26. Outdoor Pursuits
Sign Up sheets are posted for another round of trips beginning Quarter 4:Moodle has well and truly arrived - with Carl Love
What is Moodle?Moodle is a free, open source online course management system that makes it possible for us to better serve our students, their parents and our community. Essentially it is a piece of software installed on our computer server, as a strong communication and educational tool for students, parents and teachers to use and access at school - and at home through Internet access. (http://moodle.ismac.ac.tz). So, how do we use Moodle at the International School of Moshi - Arusha? That is a good question! We will try to answer it in the coming months ... for now it is a strong communication tool where you can find upcoming events/dates for the school, course outlines and project details for some classes in Secondary, photos of classrooms and major events, and contact details for each teacher (including a photo!) for each course. Over the coming year - we will branch out to more interactive activities and learning experiences such as the ones listed above ... come - check it out and grow with us! We feel it is a very powerful, useful and unique tool that only ISM has implemented. M1 field Trip with Annette Wood, Éanna O'Boyle and Mark d'Angelo
The M1s completed their field trip a week ago although earlier this week they presented various proposals for the future of the Lake Eyasi region. It's a delicate balance indeed between cultural, ecological and agricultural sustainability. For more information on the Hadzaba hunter-gatherers who the M1s met with and performed for during their trip (some hunted with them as well!), you can see National Geographic's recent report on them at http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/hadza/finkel-text as well as Daudi Peterson's efforts to protect this indigenous group at http://www.dorobofund.org/.Below are some photo snapshots of what happened during the trip.
World Maths Day
More information is in the Primary section but all students in the Secondary will, like Primary, be receiving a username and password so that they can log on and practice questions at www.worldmathsday.com. They will receive these next week. World Maths Day is on 3 March and on that day, students will compete in a maths competiton online.Warm Regards, Éanna O'Boyle Head of Secondary PrimaryP3/4 Field Study Trip
Excitement is mounting as the P3/4 students prepare for their overnight field study trip to Burka next Wednesday. This field study trip is connected to the students learning about types of biomes, our responsibility to share these resources and how we can preserve and protect our natural environment. This out of the classroom experience will provide our students with the opportunity to camp out with their peers and teachers! Such FUN!Scholastic Book Orders
This week your child will have bought home their Scholastic Book Order form. If you would like to order any of these wonderful books please have your order into your class teacher with the correct money in Tanzanian shillings by Thursday 25th February.World Math Day
Great News!World Maths Day on Wednesday, 3rd March 2010 is just around the corner, nearly here, almost upon us! However, like professional basketball players who need to train to become really good, our Mathletes need to start their training now so that we can regain our title of being the NUMBER ONE School of Mathletes in all of Tanzania. World Maths Day is celebrated by many schools all over the world. Students go online and compete against students in other countries. So, to help train our Mathletes, ISM has managed to register our students and procure usernames and passwords for them. It's easy, although they do need the internet. Just go to www.worldmathsday.com and let your child sign in. Let your budding Mathlete start their training today! Student Led Celebrations
Friday 12th March - Please mark your calendars for this very important event!Warm Regards Betty Brown Head of Primary & PYP Coordinator |
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This newsletter has been sent to you from International School Moshi. Please advise me on if your email address changes or if you would like me to add another email address to this mailing list. Adrian Moody Head of Arusha Campus International School Moshi inspires individuals to be lifelong learners in a global community.
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