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International School of Tanganyika Essentially Elementary
1
R
From Vice Principal
Glen Blair
Extended School Day
on Elementary Campus and
the 2012/13 Timetable
Last year the elementary school changed the
length of the school day from 7:10-1:15 to
7:10-1:45. 30 minutes a day was added to
the school day to allow teachers more time to
complete the curriculum and make the year
less rushed as they covered each unit. We
also were able to add a lunch break that
allowed a child staying for ASA’s to be able to
eat in the middle of the day and not wait until
3pm when they got home.
By adding the 30 minutes to the end of the
day and re-arranging break times we were
able to add 20 minutes of instructional time
to the day. So we added lunch, lengthened the
day and still were able to increase
instructional time by 20 minutes a day. (We
did not merely make the day longer and add
lunch as one might assume)
This year, we will be moving to an 8 period a
day schedule. The start and the end time will stay the same and the amount of instructional time
will increase by another 5 minutes, as we will reduce lunch for 45 to 40 minutes in length. What we
create by adding an extra period to the day is flexibility.
Next year all grade levels will be scheduled for 5 common planning periods a week, to allow them to
meet with specialists and language teachers to learn more about how students are doing in other
classes and for the teachers to co-plan more lessons together. Integrating specialists into unit
activities, and having time for EAL and Learning Support teachers to co-plan with classroom
teachers is something we value very highly, and this new schedule should allow us to this more
effectively.
For more information - IST Elementary Campus News:
http://elementary.istafrica.com/
WEEKLY CALENDAR
(See online version of school calendars:
Online Calendar
May 11
Grade 5 PYP Final Exhibition, 8.00am-11.00am
May 12
Table Top Sale at the Hard Court from 10:00am to
1:00pm.
May 14-18
World Languages Week
May 14
Counseling Parent Workshop: Anger Management,
7.20am – staffroom
May 16
EPN Social Group, 7.20am – staffroom
May 17
Board Meeting @ 5pm – 7pm, Secondary Campus,
B4
International School of Tanganyika Essentially Elementary
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School Day 2012/21013 for Kindergarten through Grade 5
7.10– 7.20 Registration
7.20 – 8.00 Period 1
8.00– 8.40 Period 2
8.40 - 9.20 Period 3
9.20– 9:40 Break
9.40 – 10.20 Period 4
10.20 – 11.00 Period 5
11.00 – 11:40 Lunch K-2 PERIOD 6 GR.3-5
11.40 – 12.20 LUNCH 3-5 PERIOD 6 K-2
12.20 – 1.00 Period 7
1.00 – 1.40 Period 8
1.40 – 1.45 Dismissal
49th Annual General Meeting, May 24, 7pm, Secondary Campus, B4
Last week, we sent home an announcement regarding the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Included with the announcement was the AGM Agenda as well as the Proxy Forms to be used by
those parents who are not able to attend the AGM in person and wish to appoint another member of
IST to vote on their behalf.
As the parent or legal guardian of an IST student, your attendance at this year's AGM is important.
Please read the Agenda to familiarize yourself with the items scheduled including voting on a motion
which will require a change to IST's Articles of Association.
In addition, please browse through the Annual Report to familiarize yourself with some of the
highlights of the year which include, but are not limited to:
the introduction of a two to three year process of establishing effective assessment practices in a PYP
school;
the continuation of developing and refining the MYP curriculum using "backward design" principles;
and,
the commitment to provide instruction for at least two of the three arts disciplines (Group 6) for IB
Diploma students regardless of student subscription in order to promote the arts more broadly.
If you require additional copies of the Annual Report, AGM Notice and Agenda, Proxy Forms,
Candidates' Statements, or Minutes from the 48th AGM, please send an email to Debra Backlund
We are looking forward to seeing you at the 49th AGM! Please mark your calendars and plan to
attend. If you cannot attend but wish to appoint a proxy, please submit your completed proxy form to
Mrs. Nasreen Nanji in the Director's Office by May 22.
BOARD CORNER
International School of Tanganyika Essentially Elementary
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On Campus
Security
ID’s For helps
If you would like an ID card for
your nanny or driver please email the
full name and a clear photo to
Bridget L. - [email protected] and
Sarah D. - [email protected]
When the nanny or drivers are no
longer employed by you then it is your
responsibility to collect the ID cards
back from them.
Thank you
Social working group meeting on Wed. May 16:
LAST one of the year
The Social working group will have their LAST meeting of
the year on Wed. May 16th from 7:20 to 8:45 a.m. in the
Teacher's lounge. We will talk about the projects we did
this year and plan for next year. Hope you can make it.
Posted by Becky ([email protected])
Come One, Come All to the
Table Top Sale IST Secondary Campus - Hard Court
10:00am-1:00pm
Saturday, May 12
Note to vendors – karibuni sana from 9:00 am onward to
get your table and set up!
For Questions email: Cassandra Hallett, [email protected]
IST's Got Talent DVD Sales
The DVDs of IST's Got Talent are 15,000 tsh.
We are taking orders now until May 18th.
Place your order with the person with the "IST's Got
Talent 2012" box in the 1st and 2nd grade quad at
picnic tables at drop-off or pick up time each day
(Monday- Friday).
Posted by Becky ([email protected])
International School of Tanganyika Essentially Elementary
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GRADE FIVE STUDENTS TAKE ACTION!
Last Saturday, four grade five students organized a FUN DAY for street children at school. As part
of their work for the PYP Exhibition project, they interviewed two different organizations that work
with street children here in Dar es Salaam. They spoke with someone from the Dogodogo Centre
for Street Children, which works with boys, and an organization called Kiwohede, which works
primarily with girls. They were inspired by the stories they heard, and wanted to do something to
help. They decided to do something simple, and organized this day for street children. Thirty
children came to school and joined our students in a morning of football, kickball and swimming.
Lunch was provided by the Oyster Bay Deli, and snacks and drinks were purchased with money
that the students raised by selling items at school. A huge thank-you to Sam from the Deli, to
Robert Carr from UNICEF, who helped to connect the students with these organizations, and to
representatives from Dogodogo and Kiwohede who came and supported the event. Thanks also to
everyone who brought in a swimsuit for this event. All of the children went home with a swimsuit
and they were very grateful. We hope to keep this ACTION going in the years to come. Great work
Jash, Leila, Sonia and Zohra!
PE Department News DISL Basketball Finals
There was drama and excitement at the elementary campus on Wednesday as Grade 3 basketball teams from
around Dar es Salaam competed in their final competition.
Our girls’ team tried their best against a tough DIA team in the quarter-finals, but eventually lost out 4-2. This
team has really improved throughout the season and credit to the girls as they only had 5 players – so no chance
for a rest! Thanks to Kate Gunn and Leah Bortolin for coaching the team
With so many boys interested in basketball, IST entered two teams in this year’s competition. Boys Team 1,
coached by Sri Perera, lost out to DIS in the quarter-finals. This team has also made great strides during the year,
thanks to Sri’s enthusiasm and patience.
Under the shrewd guidance of Mr Marcelino, our Under 9 Boy’s team 2 secured impressive wins against DIA and
French School to reach the final against Laureate. A titanic struggle ensued with the lead changing hands a
number of times, before Laureate came out winners by a score of 6-5. Our boys were so disappointed but should
take credit for some superb team play.
The under 11 finals take place on Friday 11th May. Please come along to cheer on the teams.
Inter-house Competitions
The final inter-house competition of the year will be Grade 5 T-Ball on Tuesday 15th May, from 7.15am to 8.30am.
Parents are welcome to attend.
Neil Cook (PE/Activities Coordinator)
International School of Tanganyika Essentially Elementary
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International School of Tanganyika Essentially Elementary
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Uniforms, Uniforms ES Shop
IST school Uniforms are available now for the new school year purchases,
Please come buy now to avoid the rush during the school opening time.
Please visit our Uniform shop at ES offices usual hours:
From 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm
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Shoes and Sports clothing for Kids!
The children of the Kurasini Orphanage are an active bunch
and they wear out or outgrow their shoes quickly.
If you would like to donate play shoes in good condition for
children aged 3-8 years, please drop them by the nurse’s room at
the Elementary School.
Clear out your closets and make a Kurasini child happy! Thanks!
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Description of ISTs Got Talent 2012
IST’s Got Talent 2012 took place on Saturday, May 5th from 5:00 to 8:00
p.m. at IST elementary school campus on the covered court. It was a
beautiful afternoon/evening with a huge, full moon hanging over the
event. Entrance to the non-competitive talent show was free and people
brought their picnic suppers to munch on while watching. TiGo was the
official sponsor for the event with the Social working group of the
Elementary school Parent Network (EPN) overseeing the production and
coordinating the efforts of many parents from the school volunteering
their time to make it a success. While we had a sponsor to pay for the
big expenses of the event, there were other unforeseen expenses that we had to cover. There were
opportunities to support the show and these expenses by putting money into the donation box,
Transition program for our Grade 5 Students
Who are returning to IST to move into grade 6 at the Secondary Campus
Events planned:
Tuesday 29th May Mr. Jarrod Dale (Vice Principal), Mr. Robert Tate (next year’s G6
team leader), Ms Wendy Silberberg (Head of LS/EAL) and Mrs.
Micheline Foss (middle school counsellor) will visit the grade 5
students in their classrooms and answer any questions that
students may have about the transition.
Thursday 31st May Parent information night at 7.00pm room B4 of the Secondary
Campus
Parent tours of secondary campus hosted by Mr. Robert Tate;
Thursday 31st May Tour 1: 6.30pm (before parent information evening – meet at B4)
Saturday 02nd June Tour 2: 9am (meet at front gate on Haile Selassie Road)
Friday 01st June Tour 3: 9am (meet at front gate on Haile Selassie Road)
Monday 04th June EAL/LS Parent round table discussion at the secondary school
campus in room B4 on at 7.30am led by Ms Wendy Silberberg
Wednesday 6th June Grade 10’s will present workshops to the grade 5’s and the grade 5
will be introduced to the campus and grade 6 programmes.
Friday 11th May Last day to receive request to change language option (If you would
like to change language option) as your child enters Grade 6, You
have to write to Cyrille Girardin [email protected], explaining
in detail the reasons for this change by that date.
Watch
out!
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buying food prepared by Marcela Sandoval, buying juices donated by Azam, and ordering the DVDs
that were being created by Get Real Training. The copies DVDs will be ready by May 25th and pre-
paid orders are being taken between May 3rd and May 18th.
There were 66 acts in the show, 36 group acts and 30
solo acts, involving a total of 176 students ranging in
age from the 3 year old EC students to the 12 year old
5th graders. There were more performers from 4th
graders than any other grade with 41 performers
participating (24% of all performers). The performances
started out with a bang with an exciting skateboarding
group, then there followed a student walking on stilts
and shooting a goal, musicians, one of whom played an
ocarina , many singers, a couple of whom sang songs
they wrote themselves, a skilled person doing rip-stick
tricks, lively dancers, some magic acts, an Indian
policeman, a few skits, and a song and dance number from the musical “Seussical: the Cat in the
Hat.” We were amazed by the enthusiasm and joy the performers exuded while they performed
their well practiced acts for their allotted 2 minute slots. Laelia Surtees and Patrick Mbughi were
the Masters of Ceremony and kept the show running smoothly. After each performer finished their
act, they went off stage and were given a IST’s Got Talent 2012 tee shirt and a medal created by
Tinga Tinga artist Akili.
There was an active crew this year with a total of 31 students contributing. Some of the crew
members started working on the design for the tee shirt, program and poster logo at an afterschool
activity during the third term. Another group of crew members helped with the decoration of the
covered court and stage area the day of the performance. Other crew members took pictures of the
rehearsals and during the final performance. Some of these photos will be included as Bonus
features in the DVD of the show. Finally, there were many crew members who assisted the night of
the performance getting the props, chairs and microphones on and off the stage.
Although there weren’t auditions for the show, there were some requirements for participating in
the event. The students had to submit their participation forms for their group or solo acts by
Friday, March 9th. A student was only allowed to be in one act. The act had to be appropriate
material. The acts couldn’t be longer than 2 minutes. Then the participants had to attend three
rehearsals, March 27th, April 19th and May 3rd. The first two rehearsals were conducted in various
different rooms (the music rooms, one smaller class room and an office) on the campus with a time
line for the participants to practice their acts in front of two people on the committee and get some
feedback. The dress rehearsal was the last of the three rehearsals. It was on the stage in the
covered court which was installed for the event two days before with the participants in costume
with other people watching.
There were committee members and parents helping out each step of this process, from observers
of acts to “wranglers” (those who were outside of the rehearsal rooms rounding up the next act) to
people who kept the participants quiet in the library before and after their rehearsal times. Karlien
had the patience to deal with the company who we rented the stage from and who put up the
curtains behind the stage. While we were very happy with the final stage, there had been another
one installed initially which was substandard. Thanks to Karlien’s perseverance and smile, they
replaced that stage with another in time for the show. Behind the scenes but key to the success of
the event was Rob Ainslie, the music man, who is a DJ in his heart of hearts. He got everyone’s
music together for the show and put it all on a CD in the order of the performances. Mike McKillip
from IT helped those people with music in their acts to get it to the right length. Finally, Gift Mwanga
International School of Tanganyika Essentially Elementary
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also from the IT department set up the sound system for the performance and kept it running
smoothly. All of the teachers in the school helped by encouraging their students to participate and
by passing on information to their students about the practice schedule, music deadlines and other
important communication.
The people on the IST’s Got Talent 2012 committee are Hamidah Lalji, Marcela Sandoval, Rob
Ainslie, Lauren Hendricks, Iveta Silarszka, Nafisha Ladak, Zeenat Thawer, Toni Geyve, Shemina
Bhojani, Stephanie Brook, Tracy Wright, Vanessa Gutierrez, Sue Boyd, Heather Pillar, Nuzhat Shah,
and Karlien Botes. It was a very good group of people to work with. In addition, there were many
parents who weren’t on the committee who chipped in whenever they could.
The talent show has grown since last year when there were only 51 acts and a total of 127. There
were no EC students participating last year but this year there were 24 of them. Last year there
were 27 solo acts and 24 group acts. This year there were 31 solo acts and 36 group acts. Who
knows how big the show will become next year? I have already heard students talking about what
they are planning to perform in it. The enthusiasm is infectious. It was a really fun project to work
on with IST parents and teachers to help students find an outlet for their creativity.
Signed: Becky McElroy, coordinator for IST’s Got Talent 2012
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Solar Panel Speaker
Grade 4 was very lucky to have a speaker
from IST Secondary School Ajay Mirani come
in to explain his personal project. In our
“Shock or Schocking” unit of inquiry, Grade 4
learned about different types of energy, their
uses and their environmental impacts. We
examined renewable and sustainable
sources of energy and realized the benefits
of using solar panels in Tanzania.
Ajay’s project was on that very topic. He studied the plausibility of IST using solar panels on their
classroom rooftops to cut down their reliance on other, more damaging sources of energy. Some
interesting facts he shared include:
-A mere 2-3 hours of sunlight can power the Earth for 5 years
-One solar panel costs 800,000 Tzs.
-It requires 7 panels to power 5lights, 1 air conditioner, 1 computer and 2 fans
-The number above drops to 3 solar panels when the air conditioner is removed
-A solar panel is made up of cells that lie 2cm apart
-Each cell lasts 20 years and costs 10,000 Tzs.
The Grade 4 students really appreciated Ajay’s information and are excited to design their own
personal projects in six years. They will be looking to see if Ajay’s solar panel initiative was accepted
by the budget and if their buildings have solar panels on them when they move to the Secondary
School. We thank him for coming and teaching us the many benefits of using solar panels.
IST Grade 5 Group Installs Solar Lights for Tanzanian Students
Last Thursday, 3rd May 2012, a group of IST Grade 5 students helped install 30 solar lights at Pwani Primary School, Bahari Beach. Lynn, Salah, Yumeka and Stephanie completed their PYP final exhibition action project to provide solar lights for Tanzanian students.
The sale of Write for Light books and the group’s fundraising contributed the cost of purchasing the lights from ARTI (Appropriate Rural Technology Institute). ARTI, a non-‐profit environmental group, will continue to monitor the use of the solar lights at Pwani school. The lights will be charged daily at the school and then loaned out to students who have no electricity at home, so that they can do their homework at night.
Our thanks go to the staff at ARTI and teachers at Pwani Primary School for their enthusiastic support for this project. Our students benefitted from their interaction with local students and helped raise awareness of sustainable energy technology in the community. Posted by Sue Toms, Elementary Librarian
