Dear Parents,
Welcome back to the final term of the school year at ISM. I know our D2 students only took a partial holiday in order to prepare for their upcoming diploma examinations. That hard work and dedication is going to pay off, I am sure. Although D2 classes will end on April 24, rest assured that our diploma teachers will be keeping regular hours on Moshi Campus and will be available to your students as the exams draw near. I hope everyone had a relaxing vacation with their families and that our students are returning to us relaxed and refreshed and ready to work.
Pure ISM
As I reflected upon the events of last term during my holiday, I was struck by one event which I believe epitomized the overall ethos of International School Moshi. That event was the fundraising effort centered around the Kilimanjaro Marathon. Spearheaded by Kate Robertson, Chris Dawson and Charles Schofield, this single event raised more than $ 5,000 for the ISM Scholarship fund. Both of our two campuses fully embraced this campaign as one school and there were primary and secondary students involved alongside their parents: truly a whole school community event.
The reason I believe this event was "pure ISM" was because it was designed to help others instead of to help ourselves. When SMT was approached with the proposal for this event months in advance of the race, it clearly fell within the policy on fundraising and dovetailed nicely with the ethos of the school. All proceeds go towards the tuition fees for a poor, but capable, Tanzanian student to enjoy a world class IB education at ISM. We believe at ISM that all our students need to develop their awareness of the struggle faced daily by our community hosts and I am very proud of all the students and parents who got involved and demonstrated their support.
This leads me to clarify the Board's policy on fundraising at ISM. Because most fundraising is directed at the same audience (you , the ISM parents), the Board created a policy which limits fundraising that can be done in the name of the School. Here is that Board policy:
3.402 Fund Raising
In order to support the School's Philosophy and Objectives, all fund-raising carried out in the School, or initiated by the School, or undertaken using the name of International School Moshi shall be carried out under the following guidelines.
Four different types of fund-raising will normally be permitted:
1. Small-scale fundraising to support a student school activity which has previously been endorsed by the appropriate Campus Management Committee.
2. Fund-raising to support community service activities in which ISM students are engaged. Such activities and fund-raising must first be endorsed by the CAS Council or other representative body charged with managing community service activities and should be agreed with the Head of the appropriate campus.
3. Fund-raising to support the ISM Scholarship programme. Such activities must be approved by SMT.
4. Fund-raising to support capital development within the school. Such activities must be approved by SMT.
For all fund-raising, the appropriate Campus Management Committee or SMT reserves the right to restrict or refuse permission for activities. It will be the task of the CMC or SMT to ensure that the fund-raising activity supports the School's mission and philosophy and that there is no competition for funds between different needs. In all cases, Fund Raising events shall not be or appear contradictory to any aspect of the School's Policy, nor shall they include any activities likely to give offence to members of the School or local communities.
All fund-raising activities must be coordinated by an adult leader who will usually be a teacher in the school or a member of the Parent Association. This coordinator will ensure that the purpose and objectives of the fund-raising are made clear at the time of the activity, that accurate accounts are kept of all funds raised, that all funds received are credited to an account in the school set aside for this purpose, that disbursements of funds are made strictly according to the stated purposes and objectives, and that an accounting of all funds is submitted to the appropriate Head of Campus or to the CEO. This accounting should be done as soon as possible after a one-off event, or on an agreed regular basis for ongoing fund-raising activities.
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The ISM Philosophy and Objectives clearly states, "We respect and learn from our surroundings while striving to accept responsibility to take action towards making a positive impact in our local community." I think as long as we keep this directive from the school's Philosophy and Objectives in mind along with the policy statement, we will be able to maintain the long standing ISM tradition of helping others less fortunate than ourselves. I hope this will clear up any misunderstandings about the nature of fundraising efforts at ISM.
Perseverance Pays Off
Speaking of scholarship students, I am proud to announce that Mhula Ngassa ('08) was recently awarded a four-year full scholarship to the University of British Columbia in Canada. After graduation Mhula worked last summer at the Kahama gold mine near his home. Kahama had partially sponsored his education at ISM and they offered him a fulltime job there in the summer that included their funding his studies in Engineering in RSA.
In the end, Mhula agreed to return to Moshi for a gap year and to re-apply to universities and to re-take his SATs. At the same time, he was given an intern position at the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO) working with Dr. Paul Courtright and Dr. Susan Lewallen. Paul and Susan have been great supporters of our scholarship students in this way in recent years. I am very proud of Mhula and of every teacher, student and parent who supported him during his time at ISM. I am confident that Mhula Ngassa is destined to make a big difference in the future of Tanzania. If you have met this young man, you will know what I am talking about. Again, Mhula's story, and those of his fellow Tanzanian ISM scholars, is pure ISM - helping the local community.
New Director to Visit
Finally, I want to let you know that Bob Woods will be visiting our campuses in the first week of May to meet students, teachers and parents and work with administrators and Board members as part of his transition to Director of what I believe is the best international school in East Africa.
Welcome back to ISM!
Barry Sutherland
Chief Executive Officer
International School Moshi
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