International School Moshi Moshi Campus Newsletter - 17th May 2009
Dear Parents,
Congratulations to our primary swimmers who are presently in Dar es Salaam having taken part with 6 other schools in an international schools swimming gala at IST. The Moshi team came a close 2nd to IST and scooped 18 out of the 50 medals. They are due back in Moshi on Monday afternoon.
PYP Exhibition
Congratulations also to the P6 students for their PYP Exhibition which we enjoyed last week. Photos from the exhibition are on the school website at www.ismoshi.org/p6exhib09.htm. Thanks to all who helped them in this production, especially Mr David Holt, Ms Marlaina Harper, Mr Khari Lee and the P5 students.
Graduation Ceremony
Our D2 Graduation Ceremony will take place next Saturday, 23rd May starting at 2pm for 2:30. We expect large numbers of people for this major event and hence entry is by invitation only. Family or friends of the graduating students should ask the graduand for an invitation directly. The Ceremony will be followed by a special tea in the dining hall for all those invited.
The evening before Graduation, parents of the graduands are invited to join teachers and the graduating students for a meal at Mumbai Masala restaurant in the CCM Building in Moshi. This event is for families only and current ISM students in D1 or below (with the exception of siblings of graduands) may not attend.
M5 Ten Minute Theatre
Our M5 students are presenting Ten Minute Theatre by David S Raine in Karibu Hall at 8pm on Monday, 18th May. All are welcome - entrance free.
M2-M4 Drama
There will be two performances in Karibu Hall on Wednesday, 20th May starting at 8pm. The first is an anthology performed by M2 and M3 students; this is followed by a docudrama performed by the M4 class. All are welcome.
ABRSM Practical Exams
These exams will take place on Friday, 22nd May in Moshi. Students have already registered for these and it is no longer possible to accept new registrations. Registered students can find out the time of their examination from Mr Lee.
ABRSM Theory Exams
The next set of music theory examinations will be held in Moshi on 30th September. Students who wish to register must see Mr Lee before the end of this term on 17th June.
D1 End-of-Year Exams
The D1 students will be writing internal end-of-year examinsations in most subjects during this week of 18th-22nd May. As a result they will not have regular classes this week but will have an alternative examination schedule.
Languages in Primary
Parents of students in P1-P5 are invited to attend a meeting in Room 15 this week on Wednesday 20th May at 1.30pm to discuss a proposal for French and Kiswahili classes next year in the primary school.
MYP End of Year Assessments
The M1 to M5 students will be undertaking end of year assessments in the week of 25th to 29th May. Students have been given revision guides by subject teachers for their end of year assessments. Assessments are designed to fit the MYP assessment criteria, and will vary in type as subjects
require: some will be tests, others will be various types of projects. The scope and difficulty of the assessments will vary by class increasing as students get older. All students are being given an overall guide to plan for the assessments and how to study. I invite all parents to read through the revision guide and help your children prepare for these assessments. The purpose of assessment week is to help the students become more knowledgeable and accomplished in their subjects, and to prepare them for the types of examinations they will receive in the Diploma programme.
Sale of VHS tapes
There will be a sale of second hand VHS tapes in the Library on Thursday and Friday, 21st and 22nd May. There are over 40 titles for sale at only TSh 500/- each.
D1 Interviews
This term, as part of their Careers Programme, the D1 students have been practising interview skills to help them prepare for college and the real world. As part of this process, they will present their curriculum vitae and personal statements to an interview panel. The interview panel asks the students questions about these documents and their future plans, and provides them with useful feedback.
The interviews will be held on Thursday 28th of May, between 7.35am and 12.35pm. If you have already received a request to be on a panel, or if you would be willing to sit on a panel, please let me know by Wednesday, May 20th. I can be reached by phone or email. Thank you.
Catriona Sutherland [0787 761 427, ]
Refundable Deposits
If your child is finally leaving ISM this term, you will want to know the procedure for handling the refundable deposit which you paid when your child first joined ISM. Our first task is to check that your child has returned all the books or equipment that has been loaned to him/her and this process is normally completed on their last day in school - we also need to verify that all school fees due have been paid.
If a sibling will be continuing in ISM next year, the deposit will be automatically credited to their own fees account. In this case you do not need to do anything.
Otherwise we ask you to complete a form which is available online at www.ismoshi.org/refund_deposit.pdf by clicking here and to return this to me either in printed form or by email. Printed copies of the form will also be given to your child to pass on to you. Deposits will be refunded according to your instructions in the same currency as that in which they were paid about 2 weeks after your child leaves ISM.
The deadline for advising ISM of withdrawals from school has now passed. If you have missed this deadline and your child will be leaving, please contact me immediately.
Karibu Hall
As you may have heard, a crack appeared in Karibu Hall last week immediately above the stage opening. We have taken professional advice and have now added two new supporting walls on the sides of the stage. This has significantly reduced the stage span, but does mean that all will be well for the Graduation Ceremony.
Primary Assembly
This week's primary assembly on Friday, 22nd May will be led by the Kindergarten class.
Kindergarten - Extended Day
As part of their transition experience in preparation for P1 next year, students in KG2 (those who will be 5 years old before 1st August 2009) will be having extended hours beginning on Wednesday 27th May, 3 days a week on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays until the 12th of June. On these days, they will finish at 1.05pm with the rest of the primary school.
Scabies
A few concerns have been raised by our parents in the medical profession that there may be a need to check for symptoms of scabies with your primary child.
Dr Victor Hu from KCMC has provided the following advice: The first-line treatment is 5% permethrin cream, eg. Lyclear, which unfortunately is unavailable in Moshi. Lindane is a treatment which is available here, but should not be used in children under 2 years or pregnant/breast-feeding mothers. Benzyl benzoate is another possible treatment, but this can cause severe irritation of the skin and I would not advise its use except under perhaps under the supervision of the dermatology unit at KCMC (we will never use it again as our kids were screaming after we had put it on). It is also useful to use steroid cream for the itch, but this should only be used under medical supervision.
We will be holding a Rummage Sale in Karibu Hall on Saturday, 30th May. This is an opportunity to sell your old items or buy from others. All proceeds from the Rummage Sale will be donated to ISM community service projects. Further details are available at www.ismoshi.org/rummage.pdf.
Calculators for D1 students - 2009/10
All students in D1 are required to have a graphical display calculator for use in classes and examinations. Only certain models of calculators are approved by the IB for use in exams and it can also take a while to learn how to use a particular model effectively. From August 2009, we will be teaching students effective use of graphic calculators using the TI-Nspire model (without CAS functions). We would therefore very strongly recommend that students obtain this model as we may not be able to help students with different models. The school will also have a stock of TI-Nspire calculators for sale to D1 students at cost price (approximately $131 depending on exchange rates) in August. Further details on this calculator can be found at the TI website. Note that D2 students will continue to be taught using the older TI-84 model.
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