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International School Moshi Arusha Campus News - 30th January 2009 |
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Dear Parents, ISA Tests
This week we will be administering ISA [International Schools Assessment] tests to students in the P5, M1 and M3 classes. These standardised tests are intended to help us measure our students and our teaching programmes against those of other international schools. Students are not expected to prepare for the tests in any way and we intend to make the process as simple as possible for them. If you would like to read more about the tests that we took in 2008, please go to www.ismoshi.org/isaacer.htm.M4 Field StudyDue to unforeseen staffing considerations, the M4 trip to Kolo which had been planned for February 3rd will no longer go ahead. We are currently discussing an alternative focus and location for the M4 field study trip which will now take place later in the year.Maulid HolidayThe Maulid holiday is provisionally scheduled early in March but the date of the national holiday is dependant upon the sighting of the moon. In ISM we have decided to celebrate Maulid on Monday, 9th March. This means that there will be no classes on Monday, 9th March, but there will be classes as usual on Tuesday, 10th March and on other days that week, irrespective of when the national holiday is declared.New Director SearchAll applications for the position of Director of ISM to replace Barry Sutherland in August are now in and the Board has formed a Search Committee consisting of Board members, parents and teachers to reduce the list of applicants to a short list for interview here in Moshi/Arusha. It is hoped that interviews will be held in late February.FeesYou are reminded that for most parents who are paying fees by installments, the third term fees are due by next weekend, 1st February. Please ensure that these are received by the school on time as our accounts office has been instructed to surcharge late payments.Dates to remember
Adrian Moody Head of Campus Secondary NewsPersonal ProjectsWell done to Mr. Brown for organizing an interesting and informative evening on Tuesday regarding the Personal Project. We had all the M4 students and nearly all the parents come to hear more details about the project and what's expected of the students. The students are coming up with their ideas now and are excited and enthusiastic about the project. Meanwhile, the M5 students are very busy completing their first drafts of their personal statements describing their projects. These will be completed this month and there will be formal presentations of their projects in both Arusha and Moshi during March. It's a big project, but through commitment to a year-long project, the students show how accomplished they are and can be proud of the results of their hard work.International School Assessment (ISA)On Wednesday (4 Feb) and Friday (6 Feb), students in P5, M1 and M3 will take the International School Assessment (ISA) created by ACER (Australian Council for Education Research). This is a standardized test administered by over a hundred schools around the world intended to give us information about our students' performance compared to similar students in similar schools around the world. Parents of these students will be receiving today a letter with more information about the tests. We ask all parents of students sitting the tests to help them by encouraging them and reassuring them, and by helping them get sufficient rest and healthy food before hand. Good luck to the students taking the test!M1 Class Trip: How are Lakes Manyara and Eyasi changing?The M1 class will head off to study the lands and peoples around Lake Manyara and Lake Eyasi on Monday, 9 February. They'll return to school on Thursday, 12 February and will continue their work in school on Friday, 13 February and the following Monday. A letter regarding the trip will be going home today to parents and students in M1.Secondary Production: Dira/HeartbeatMs. Gorman is hard at work organizing our secondary students in their singing and dancing for Dira/Heartbeat, which will be staged on Friday, 27 February and Saturday, 28 February.A reminder: Next Friday and the 2 Fridays afterwards (6, 13 and 20 February) all students are expected to remain for a 2:00-3:30 rehearsal of the full production. Students are asked to dress all in black (t-shirt & trousers & shoes) & tech crew (costumes, sound, lighting, etc.) will be needed, too. Parents, please arrange transport to collect students from school at 3:30 on Friday afternoons. Regards John Iglar Head of Secondary Primary NewsDear Parents,Thank you! I would like to thank all our parents who attended our Primary years programme introductory session this afternoon. Although brief, new parents were welcomed and introduced to each other and knowledge was shared. If you would like to make suggestions for future workshops please let me know. Our next parent workshop will be in March and focus on the Assessed Curriculum; specifically Student Led Celebrations. International Schools AssessmentsAs a part of our ongoing development of curriculum and assessment procedures at ISM we are continuing with the implementation of the ISA standardized testing program. Standardized testing can provide data required for educational decisions ranging from the formulation of a student's individualized plan to the evaluation of curriculum effectiveness within the School. Standardized testing is one of the ways, among many others, to assess and compare our students' progress with students of the same age in other countries.Therefore our P5 students will be participating in this assessment program next Wednesday 4th Feb and Friday 6th Feb in the mornings. All P5 parents should have received a notice with more specific details. Messages from Stories Field TripNext Thursday 5 Feb we welcome our Moshi P1/2 students and teachers to Arusha. Our students will be treated to stories told by 'Tina' at Umoja followed by some collaborative work on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning before our Moshi buddies head home.Share Time AssembliesCongratulations to all our students and Ms. Gorman for some wonderful singing at this weeks share time assembly. Our next share time assembly will be on Friday 13th February and will be hosted by our P3/4 students. Friday 27th February will be out Secondary Production. On Friday 13th March our P1/2 and EC students will be hosting. Mark your calendars!ISM WebsiteIf you haven't had an opportunity to view the ISM website, now would be a good time to do this. We have updated the website and you can now see photographs and read write ups about what it is like to be a student on the Arusha campus. Much more information is available to you to keep you informed and to share with family and friends - have a read!Trans disciplinary Skill of the week: 'Thinking Skills''Starting with the student's own observations is more than a nicety; it is good learning theory. Many learning theorists believe that learning happens best when people construct new knowledge by actively building on their own ideas and impressions. This constructivist view contrasts with the view that learning is simply a matter of absorbing information.. doing so leads students to generate their own impressions and thus provides them with a basis for building new knowledge. This connects to teaching thinking because one of the primary ways people build on their own impressions is by thinking about them, for example by probing and reflecting on them, purposefully extending them, and using them as a basis for asking questions and constructing interpretations'. Tishman.s (2008) "The object of their attention". Educational Leadership, Feb 2008, Vol 65, 5 If you would like to read the whole article, please come and collect one from my room.Regards Betty Brown Head of Primary Sports NewsCo-Curricular ActivitiesSession 3 is off to a fine start.Reminders: Wheelie wheels participants must have a helmet. Sports require PE kit or similar sporting attire including a hat. Students involved in the production must have an activity for when it finishes. Piano, drum kit, guitar, tennis and Taekwando lessons have a fee which is payable directly to the instructor. Quarter 3 CCAs started on Monday January 26 and finish on Wednesday March 11, a total of 7 weeks. Primary students committed to lunch swim training will be given preference for participation in the St. Constantine's gala on Saturday February 21st. KILIMANJARO MARATHONISM will again be well represented at this annual international event. Several teachers and parents from Arusha and Moshi will be running the half marathon. Even more will participate in the 5km run. If you would like to be part of the fun see Mr. Schofield for details.Outdoor PursuitsDates of trips are being finalized and will be communicated as soon as possible.SportsWell done to the 12 and under girls and boys who took part in football and basketball at Braeburn on Monday.Good luck to the U19 girls and boys basketball teams competing at the annual tournament in Moshi this Saturday. The girls' team is hoping to win the cup for the second consecutive year. Come to the primary pitch next Wednesday for 10 and under mixed football from 3:10 - 4:30pm. Term 2 Sports Fixtures January-March 2009
Charles Schofield Sports and OP Coordinator | Available on the web...
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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