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International School Moshi Moshi Campus Newsletter - 16th August 2009 |
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Dear Parents, The new school year has got off to a good start and all in the Moshi Campus seem well engaged with school. These email newsletters will be sent to parents every weekend during the school term and, by this means, we hope to keep you fully informed of school news and events. If your email address needs to be changed or you know of another email address that should be added to the mailing list, please let me know on . Direct from the Director
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year at International School Moshi. As we close our first week of class the new teachers and students on both the Arusha and Moshi campuses seem to be adjusting to the rhythm of the daily schedules and Tanzania.As the new director, I have been working closely with the Senior Management Team (SMT) in order to become familiar with the operations of our school and the challenges faced by our institution as well as those faced by our individual campuses. As we move through these opening weeks I plan to meet with students, professional, support and ancillary staff and of course parents. I am honored to have been offered this opportunity to serve as the Director of International School Moshi and look forward to working with the community in moving the institution forward. Sincerely, Robert W. Woods Director, International School Moshi The Circus is in Town!
Next week, Circus Mama Africa is in Moshi and we are planning a boarders' trip to visit the circus - day students will also be welcome to join once our dates are finalised. The Circus will be staging a free, short preview performance in Karibu Hall on Monday at 3pm for ISM students and any parents who wish to attend.PA Picnics
The Parent Association will be hosting picnics in both Arusha and Moshi to welcome new teachers and families to the community and to provide an opportunity for all to meet socially. The first of these will be on ISM Arusha Campus on Saturday, 22nd August. The second will be at TPC, a short distance south of Moshi, on Saturday, 29th August. Please bring your own food and drinks. Details of times and how to get there will be published soon. We hope that all teachers and families living in Arusha/Moshi will be able to attend one (or both) of these events.M1 Camp
The M1 students will have an opportunity to learn some of the skills of camping and hill walking during the M1 Camp on 29-30 August. Details of this trip will be sent to M1 parents shortly.Ramadan and Idd el Fittr
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan will begin in about one week's time. During this time many Muslim students in the school will be fasting. To help the boarding students with this, the school provides them with an early breakfast in their boarding house and they also take a later supper after they have broken their fast. Special rooms can also be made available as prayer rooms on request.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. Boarders are welcome to travel home for the long Idd weekend if they wish, but should return to school by 6pm on Tuesday, 22nd September. For those boarders who are unable to travel home, there will be a boarding trip over the weekend. PSSS - What's That?
Many of our students are planning to attend university in the USA and most colleges and universities will ask for them to obtain good scores on the SAT tests which they will take in 11th grade (D1) or 12th grade (D2). To help prepare our students for this, we are expecting any M5 student who may possibly be applying to a college or university in the USA to practise and to take the PSSS (Preliminary SAT Scoring Service) in January. Classes to help the M5 students prepare for the PSSS will be held every Monday afternoon this semester.If your child is in M5 and he/she will definitely not be applying to the USA, then he/she may not need to attend these classes. Students may only be exempted from attendance if parents have confirmed in writing that this is acceptable. If you do not want your child to attend, please email me on keironw@ismoshi.net. More information on the PSSS is available on the College Board website. SAT Preparation
To help D1 and D2 students prepare for the SAT, we are holding SAT preparation classes every Wednesday afternoon. The next SAT tests in Moshi are in October and November 2009 and details of these are given at www.ismoshi.org/SAT.htm. All D1/D2 students who are planning to apply to college or university in the USA must take these tests For D2 students: Many D2 students will have taken the SAT last May. The October/November tests are an opportunity to retake the SAT Reasoning Test and obtain a higher score. Students applying to the more demanding universities may also wish to take SAT Subject Tests which are available on the same dates. Attendance at the SAT Reasoning Test preparation classes is compulsory for any D2 student who is planning to apply to the USA and who has not yet scored a satisfactory score on the SAT Reasoning test. For D1 students: We would recommend that D1 students take the SAT Reasoning Test in May 2010. D1 students therefore do not need to attend preparation classes at this stage. From November 2009, we will make the SAT preparation classes compulsory for all D1 students considering applying to the USA. Primary Polo Shirts
All primary children are expected to wear an ISM polo shirt for classes. Polo shirts are available from the receptionist, Anita, in the main office at a cost of TSh 18,000/- per shirt. We are also expecting some new shirts which will be available from Wednesday, 19th August at a cost of TSh 14,000/- each. We will give everyone a few days to obtain their shirts but will start requiring ISM polo shirts from 24th August. (Note the slight date change from the last newsletter)Contact Details
It is very important that all our parent contact details are kept up to date. Shortly we will be sending a form with all day students to ask parents to complete all your contact details. Alternatively you can send your contact details to us online at www.ismoshi.org/contactdetails.htm. This is a quick and easy way to send the information - please help us to ensure our records are up to date.School Documents for Parents
There are many school documents available on the school website for parents to view and download:
Geography Photo Competition
There is a geography photo competition for pupils in M1-D2, divided into three categories (M1-M3, M4-M5, D1-D2). The entries must be printed and be the pupil's own photos with each pupil allowed to enter a maximum of three photos. The deadline for entries is the 31st August and all entries will be on display outside room nine after the winners have been chosen. Photos should show something geographical! Please submit entries to Catherine Egglestone.P5/6 Design New Rules for ISM Teachers!
P5/6 have been working on their first unit of inquiry called, Law and Order. They looked at some strange laws they had for teachers in New Zealand in 1915, and decided to work out their own Rules for ISM Teachers. Here are some of the rules they made.1. ISM Teachers are not allowed to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. 2. Male ISM Teachers are not allowed to wear saggy pants. 3. Female ISM Teachers are not allowed to wear mini skirts or shorts. 4. ISM Teachers are not allowed to have tattoos. 5. ISM Teachers are not allowed to have holidays. 6. All teachers at ISM must be married and have a valid driver's licence if they want to teach. 7. If an ISM Teacher litters, then they have to sweep the class 5 times a day as punishment. 8. ISM Teachers are not allowed to be sarcastic to their students or put them down. 9. All ISM Teachers have to wear bright colours. 10. ISM Teachers are not allowed to wear jewellery, or other things that will distract their students. Whilst some of these are manageable, I suspect a few of us may have problems with number 9 or number 5! Before any teacher contacts me to complain, please remember that these have not all been adopted - yet. | Available on the web...
This newsletter has been sent to you from International School Moshi. Please advise me if your email address changes or if you would like me to add another email address to this mailing list. Keiron White Head of Moshi Campus International School Moshi inspires individuals to be lifelong learners in a global community.
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