International School Moshi Arusha Campus News - 29th January 2010
Dear Parents,
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! If there are any parents who would like to help out with the planning or the organization on the day please contact Sue Jones at
Maulid Holiday
Maulid (also known as Milad-un-Nabi) is an Islamic Holiday which celebrates the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him). This day is celebrated on the 12th day of Rabi-ul-Awwal (3rd Month in Islamic Calendar) This year, it is expected to fall on either 25th or 26th of February 2010 depending on the sighting of the moon. 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.
ABRSM Theory Examinations
The next theory examination will be Friday, 5th March. We will be taking registrations for the practical examination in May shortly. Please watch this space.
Arusha High School Musical
Rehearsals for our High School musical have begun. The first performance will be on the evening of the Thursday, 18th March. If you have any question about arrangements please contact Erik Meinertz at
Dates to remember.
Wednesday, February 3 - P5/6 Field Study Trip to West Kili
Tuesday, February 9 - M1 Field Study Trip: Lakes Eyasi & Manyara
Wednesday, February 24 - P3/4 Field Study Trip
Friday, February 26 - Maulid holiday
Monday, March 1 - Quarter 4 fee installment due
Wednesday, March 3 - P1/2 Field Study Trip to Arusha National Park - Day trip
Thursday, March 4 - M5 PP presentations - Arusha
Saturday, March 6 - Soccer Sevens Tournament (Moshi)
Wednesday, March 10 - M3 Science Fair
Friday March 12 - Primary Student Led Celebrations
Saturday, March 13 - International Festival - Arusha
Saturday, March 13 - Secondary Production
Saturday, March 20 - OP Level 1 Mandara, Secondary Production
Friday, March 26 - Quarter 3 ends
Regards
Adrian Moody Head of Campus
Secondary News
Today's news is dominated by dates of special events such as a Diploma programme presentation, ISA tests, PSSS tests, field trips, sports and outdoor pursuits. Special congratulations to the 10s girls football team who won their second consecutive match this time against Braeburn last Thursday!
Diploma Programme in Moshi Campus
On Wednesday 3 February at Arusha Campus, there will be a special presentation on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP). This will be presented by a team from our Moshi Campus which will include the director Bob Woods, head of campus Keiron White and Diploma Coordinator Patricia Hermes. It will be of special interest to to all parents/guardians and students who wish to know more about the IB Diploma Programme and the Moshi campus. The presentation will focus on the nature and structure of the Diploma Programme and general information about the Moshi campus, including its boarding facilities. There will also be discussion of how the IB Diploma Programme follows on naturally from the Middle Years Programme (MYP), and how it is recognized by third level colleges and universities worldwide. The presentation will take place from 1300-1430 in the Mathematics Room.
ISA Tests for M1 and M3 students
As part of our ongoing development of curriculum and learning at ISM, we are continuing with the implementation of the International School Assessment (ISA) standardized tests. These tests are created by the Australian Council for Education research (ACER) designed especially for students in international schools and will be given to M1 and M3 in the secondary school on Monday and Tuesday, 1 and 2 February. The tests measure mathematical skills, reading and writing (in English). The tests are scored by the ACER and the feedback they provide can be very helpful to parents, students and teachers in terms of academic strengths and weaknesses. Worth stressing is that this test is not an intelligence test - it measures mathematical and literacy skills which is only some of the attributes of a wise person. The test does not aim to measure students' skills in areas such as sport, collaboration, the Arts, being caring, public speaking, or with being principled. Nevertheless, the test is important in the information that it can give on mathematical and literacy skills.
PSSS Tests for M5 students
On Thursday 4 February at Arusha Campus, we will be conducting a Preliminary SAT Scoring Service or PSSS test. This test measures critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills. Students can use the PSSS to familiarize themselves with the types of questions, instructions, and format they will encounter on the SAT test which is a widely used college admissions test in North America. Even for those students who do not wish to pursue studies in North America, the test gives valuable feedback. PSSS score reports provide personalized feedback on students' skills and offer suggestions for areas in which students can improve to better prepare for third level education.
M4 Personal project evening and Field trip
The Personal Project session for M4 parents and students here on Monday 25 January was very well attended and the interactive session led by Steve Brown described and gave advice about the nature of this key component of the MYP.
The dates for the 'Field Study' trip to West Kili for M4 students in Arusha and Moshi campuses has been confirmed and will happen from March 23-25.
M1 Field Study Trip
The M1 field trip to lakes Eyasi and Manyara is happening from 9-12 February (and so students will have the weekend to rest!). Annette Wood is the leader and she will be accompanied by Éanna O'Boyle from Arusha Campus. More information was sent to all M1 parents through a paper letter today (Friday).
Co-Curricular Activities/Sports/Outdoor Pursuits with Charles Schofield
Co-Curricular Activities
Started this week. Although Mr. Prosper the TaeKwanDo Instructor was sick and cancelled Monday's session, he is back at full health. All Bag Making participants should have received a letter about materials needed. 10's mixed football continues on Wednesdays.
Sports
The U10s girls football will not play this coming Thursday because the P5/6 class will be away on camp. The final Match will be played the following Thursday from 3:15-4:15pm.
The girls won their second match 2-0 against Braeburn yesterday.
I have requested the date of the St. Constantine's Swim Gala be changed from Saturday February 27th so that it does not clash with Maulid. I await confirmation on this.
Outdoor Pursuits
Sign Up sheets are posted for another round of trips beginning this term:
Level 1 Mandara Hut April 17-18
Level 2 Little Meru April 24-26
Level 3 Base of Mawenzi April 29 - May 2
Level 4 Socialist peak May 8-11
Regards
Éanna O'Boyle Head of Secondary
Primary News
P5/6 Field Study Trip
Excitement is mounting for our P5/6 students and teachers as they prepare to travel to West Kili next Wednesday 3rd Feb. This week the students from both campuses enjoyed a day together preparing for camp: Research groups were established and topics such as: Small farming, Commercial Farming, Avocado Farming, Tourism, Games Reserves and Forestry. Parents attended a pre camp briefing on Thursday afternoon and we wish to thank all our parents for attending and supporting their children in this very memorable event. We wish all the students, teachers and support staff a safe and enjoyable trip.
ISA Testing
Today our P4,5 & 6 students completed the International Schools Association Trial Tests. Next Monday and Tuesday these students will be taking the official tests. These tests provide you as a parent and us as a school with an insight into students' proficiency in the areas of mathematical Literacy, Reading, Narrative Writing and Expository Writing, in each case derived from a single measure of performance on a particular day. It is important that the students get a good night's sleep and arrive at school on time so that they do not feel pressured or rushed.
Students will work for 2 hours with breaks on Monday and 1.5 hours on Tuesday with breaks. Extra time is allowed at the end to allow for any students who are still working profitably. Results of these tests will be disseminated to all parents as soon as we get them back.
Share Time Assembly
Next Friday 5th Feb our P1,2,3,4 students will be celebrating our 100th Day of school, we would like to invite parents to join us at 1.30pm in the performance area where the students will share their discoveries. Karibu! Our next Share time assembly will be on Friday 12th February - mark your calendars!
PYP Evaluation Visit
A Reminder that our PYP Evaluation visit will take place on Wednesday 10 - Friday 12th February. Our visiting team members are Tricia Herbert currently working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Yvonne Lewis who is currently working in Gaborone, Botswana. When I get confirmation from the team of our specific meeting schedule I will display it on the notice boards at school and send aspects of it home in the primary news next Friday. I hope as many of our parents will be able to meet our visiting team at our afternoon tea and in our 4 self study working teams.
Regards,
Betty Brown Head of Primary and PYP Coordinator
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