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“ISU is a leader in providing world-class, holistic education in a multi-cultural setting, inspiring and equipping students to be life-

long learners, to reach their full potential and to be responsible global citizens active in shaping the future.”

SENIOR LINK— February 2014

School Continues Outside of the Classroom

The past few weeks have been exceptionally busy in the Senior School, as every student has been involved in one of the

activities listed below:

Grade 12 Mock exams

Grade 11 Project 4 activity at Kibale

Grade 10 Work Experience

Grades 6-9 Week Without Walls.

The Grade 12 mock examinations are presently being marked and returned to students. A thorough review of the papers and

revision of errors is essential at this stage before full Diploma examinations begin on May 5th. Grade 11 students

productively used their time visiting Kibale to complete their Project 4 requirements. These projects included studying the

effects of deforestation, water and soil ecology and efficient cooking options. Judging from the Grade 10 students

reflections they benefited from having the opportunity of spending a week joining the work force and learning more about

possible future career options.

Week Without Walls proved highly successful this year, with a greater emphasis placed on worthwhile service learning

projects and a range of team building and curriculum related activities. Two new trips were introduced. Grade 9 had the

option of climbing Mt Elgon, or participating in organised activities around Sipi Falls and Grade 6 developed their

knowledge of Ugandan flora and fauna and trekking skills at Lake Mburo.

My thanks to all the teachers who spent a great deal of time organising and participating in the above activities and to the

students whose behaviour was a credit to ISU.

Lesley Peacock

University Counseling Update

Grade 12 students have now all applied to university except those applying to universities in Europe or the Southern

Hemisphere. We have already received acceptances to over 25 universities in the UK including Durham, Edinburgh, Not-

tingham, Oxford, UCL and Warwick. The US and Canadian acceptances will be communicated to students usually by April,

although we’ve already received acceptances to James Madison and Calvin College.

Grade 11 student have just begun the journey in writing their applications and all students have already attended individual

interviews regarding their plans for college and life beyond ISU. They will be completing the first drafts of their college

essay or personal statement during the next two months, while beginning to create a short list of universities.

Grade 10 students have met briefly with Mr. J and Mr. Todd to review their course choices for the Diploma Programme and

an initial survey of choices was completed at the end of January. Students will have the opportunity to meet individually

with Mr. Todd during the next month to discuss their choices. Parents are also encouraged to discuss this further at the

Parent -Teacher-Student Conferences scheduled for April 1st.

If you would like more information please do check your child’s Family Connection, Naviance account – available to par-

ents in Grades 9-10.

Mr. Daniel Todd dtodd@isumail.ac.ug University Counselor

Festival of World

Cultures

Grade 8 Humanities: Nelson Mandela Stadium Inquiry

The grade 8 humanities classes are currently studying football and how global institutions can affect social and economic

change. Part of that study included where, how and at what cost stadiums are built where they are. Examining the case

study of Arsenal’s former Highbury Stadium in class, students were able to apply those same questions to the

Nelson Mandela Stadium in Namboole.

On Monday, February 3, students participated in a tour and question and answer session of the stadium; they were able

to investigate the reasons and problems behind the stadium’s design and location, the environment and local impact of

the project, and how safety and security issues are addressed by the management. Students then compared both stadiums

and analyzed the most pressing issues facing Nelson Mandela Stadium. Most students concluded that safety and security

at matches and the waste management are the most important issues for the stadium. Amber Rhinehart, grade 8 Humanities

teacher

Scholarship Update

It is the school’s pleasure to report that our scholarship students, Brian and Judith, have had a productive year and are working

hard at their studies. The transition to ISU was not an easy one for them but with continued support from our host families and

teachers in school they are continuing to get good grades.

I would once again like to remind parents that we are always looking for host families for our students. Please read on if you

would like to help.

We aim to place Brian and Judith with ISU families whilst they complete their studies. This enables them to appreciate what life is like for an international family and fully concentrate on their school work. Their experiences before joining ISU were certainly limited and being able to understand what their future may look like after this opportunity is key to their success. If you feel that you and your family could provide a supportive home for our scholarship students or you would like more information then please contact Lucy Allsopp at lallsopp@isumail.ac.ug ; I look forward to hearing from you soon. We are looking for host families for the next academic year so please do not hesitate to get in contact. We are grateful to those families that have supported our students in the past and now; thank you from Catherine, Brian, Judith and members of the committee.

Work Experience

During Week Without Walls Grade 10 were out gaining experience of the work place. Interests varied greatly, from working with rhinos to understanding more about technology to medicine; this is a perfect reminder of the diversity that we experience at ISU. The students reported that they had a great week and learnt a lot from their placements. Some students have thought about how this may affect future careers and the choices they will need to make. If this has not arisen as a conversation at home now may be a good time to do so as students will be thinking about choices for the Diploma Programme next year. Having read through a few journals I would like to share some of the many positive comments which have come back about our students: “It was a true pleasure, the student contributed to the organization and the staff enjoyed working with him and they also respect him for values and efforts on their behalf” “Shows keen interest and willingness to learn, she is quick to pick up new ideas and concepts and places them in the right context of the task at hand” “Very capable designer who is excellent at putting a unique spin on the work that she does. Her work ethic is exceptional and her willingness to adapt and learn new concepts is particularly commendable” “He was always courteous and eager to learn. He handled the assignment that was given to him with professionalism and interest” A thank you to all our sponsors who took the time to work with the students all week. Thanks also to parents who helped with the process of finding placements. Anyone who would like to get in contact to evaluate the process as a whole can do so at lallsopp@isumail.ac.ug

MYP: The next chapter – (Part 1 of 3) The MYP is going through a major redesign during the next year. We shall be communicating these

changes through the Senior Link and community events so that you and your children understand what

these changes involve.

The IB regularly reviews each of its four programmes through five year curriculum cycles as well as

longer major reviews. The PYP is currently going through a major study to review its success and the

MYP is about to implement changes recommended by a study completed over the past five years. The

official date for implementation of the changes is September 2014.

MYP: The next chapter involves three major areas of change which include: programme alignment,

curriculum design and innovations in assessment. This is the first part of three articles which give details

of these areas of change.

Programme Alignment Subject Name Changes In order to match the names in the Diploma Programme and to reflect some of the content changes to the

subject areas the following subject names will be used from August 2014:

Humanities Individuals & Societies

Language A Language & Literature

Language B Language Acquisition

PE Physical and Health Education

Technology Design (includes Product Design and Digital Design)

Sciences, Arts and Mathematics remain the same.

Areas of Interaction to become Global Contexts The areas of interaction which are contexts through which learning is organized in the MYP will be

changed to Global Contexts which are very similar to the PYP Transdisciplinary Themes shown in

brackets below.

Identities and relationships (Who we are)

Personal and cultural expression (How we express ourselves)

Orientation in space and time (Where we are in place and time)

Scientific and technical innovation (How the world works)

Globalisation and sustainability (How we organize ourselves)

Fairness and development (Sharing the Planet)

Approaches to Learning Approaches to Learning (ATL) used to be one of the Areas of Interaction, but it will become the common

term to refer to skills that students acquire in all three programmes.

IB ATLs Communication Skills Social Skills Research Skills Self-Management Skills Thinking Skills -

ISU has already begun to explore some of these changes which you will begin to see around the school

and on ManageBac. All Subject Area Leaders are attending training during the next two months to ensure

that the school is ready for implementing the changes in August.

If you would like to read more about the changes please follow the link below:

https://www.ibo.org/myp/nextchapter/

Daniel Todd dtodd@isumail.ac.ug MYP Coordinator

Grade 6 Lake Mburo National Park

“We need to rely on others to put up a tent”

“Asking for help is okay” “I’m not the only one uncomfortable pooping outdoors” “I can find knowledge/information from many different sources” These were some learnings students shared while digesting the second draft of their first s’more (the first draft was either undercooked, burnt, or fell into the fire….or Mr. McQueen ate it!). Based on these quotes, one can peek into the four days 6th graders spent at Lake Mburo National Park. From pitching a tent and tearing it down; chopping and cooking vegetables and cleaning up; creating and playing games; and observing and identifying dung, trees, seeds and footprints, to developing and expanding relationships, students tore down the classroom walls and learned outside (yes, they were outside for 4 days!). What’s fascinating is that their learning consisted of observations that can be transferred to any other dimension of their lives. And this is the hidden curriculum that middle schoolers need to develop into successful global citizens. The before school scene on Monday post-WWW, showed students chatting and laughing in groups different from the before WWW groups. Their own personal walls were broken down and new connections were developed. After quickly surveying the students on Monday morning, we learned that their Friday afternoon and evening consisted mostly of showers, being online, using a comfortable toilet, and sleeping. Yes, this was a successful Week Without Walls. Nicky Farmer Lindsay McQueen Emma Nason Jamie McQueen Francesca Ferrari

Grade 7 Jinja

Kakira Sugar Plantation Mabira forest walk

Last week the entire Grade 7 had a week of adventure in Jinja for Week Without Walls. We were accompanied by The Sporty Mrs Nhokwara, The Musical Mrs. Burnett, The Supportive Mrs Virginie; The Comical Mr Olanya and the Spectacular Mr Ferry. Right before we arrived at our camp we took a small pit stop and enjoyed a lovely picnic at the Source of the Nile; played games in our competitive teams before heading to Nile River Camp. This is a green and quiet area that offers good accommodation and safari tents our home for 4 days. We were given our roommates and had time to chill, get settled and enjoy ourselves. We then ate dinner which was a delicious meal and then did a quiz which was designed by Mr. Ferry. The next morning we awoke ready at 7:15am to do some morning exercises from the exercise guru Mrs Nhokwara. That day we headed off to Kakira Sugar Plantations and Sweet Factory. We were able to take an inside look at how sugar is made and processed, it was pretty spectacular. We were also able to learn about the history of Kakira and how it was started by a young man who barely had any education in his life. After that we moved to Kakira’s own candy factory and we were able to fulfill our dreams of seeing how candy is really made. We were even

allowed to sample test, a great treat for everyone. After all that we headed back to the camp for lunch, enjoyed swimming then we had a challenging but exciting treasure hunt at the campsite during the afternoon. That night we enjoyed dinner and watched a good but scary movie. Thursday morning we awoke to more exercise and showers. We had a hearty breakfast then headed to a local school, Kkabirwa Primary School. We helped paint the school as part of our Community and Service. After 3 hours of cleaning and painting we had to go back and eat our lunch. Before we could get back to the school and have our football game, it rained. It however helped to cool the temperatures and made the football game bearable. We played a brutal 2 hour football game. Sadly we lost 5-7 but not without a fight, we played some of the best football ever. We also played dodge ball, tug of war and the students from this school taught us local dances. It was fun for all of us. That was our last full day in Jinja and to top it all off we had a barbeque for dinner and a bonfire. On our final day we awoke to some breakfast, and after enjoying some French toast we packed our bags and headed to the bus. We started our long journey back to Kampala, this time taking another pit stop at Mabira forest. Our grade took a nature walk enjoying the fauna and flora of this massive forest and learned about some of the medicinal trees that the local folk use and various plant life. We arrived back safely wishing for a longer period of independence, adventure and bonding with friends. By Alexander Sasha Ronning

Grade 8 WWW to Lake Nabugabo The grade eight students, on their educational school trip to the magnificent Lake Nabugabo, were joined by Mister Mshana Mzuguno, one of the leading Tingatinga painters of Tanzania. Together with Mr. Mzuguno, they created the most colourful and stunning murals at the 'Lake Nabugabo Community Learning Centre' over a period of two days.

The school was started by Mr. David Batten and his wife Judy Harris both ex-MYP teachers from the UK. David and Judy were blown away by the transformation and extended their special thanks to all students involved.

In a bid to do our bit for the environment, we used new fuel efficient stoves to prepare all our meals. These stoves also known as “Micro Gasifiers” use un- carbonized biomass, are extremely quick to light and very fuel efficient. The special wood gas stoves allowed the students to cook food several times faster than traditional charcoal stoves. Mr. Ochieng and the students organised a series of workshops for the local people, where they demonstrated the immense economical and practical advantages of the “Micro Gasifiers” over traditional stoves. Members of Lake Nabugabo community were eager to work with the eco-stoves and have placed orders for the stoves. The students furthermore created a promotional digital video for Lake Nabugabo Holiday Centre and its surroundings, had an exciting quiz night, a movie night and enjoyed the campfires in the evenings. Extra good news for the parents; all students were very well behaved and they often volunteered to assist with cooking or doing the dishes,... no reason why they wouldn't do this at home from now on!

Grade 9 Sipi Trip, Mt. Elgon

Group 1- Grade 9 traveled to Mt. Elgon this year for Week Without Walls. One group of 9th graders - 23 students, accompanied by 4 teachers - climbed Mt. Elgon itself, successfully reaching Wagagai peak on Friday afternoon. Students hiked between 10 and 25 km each day, and camped in tents along the route. Despite the difficulty of the hike, students were told by the park guides that they were the first school group to have ever reached the peak with 100% of the group intact. Students learned valuable lessons in community and perseverance, and had the opportunity to appreciate the vast natural beauty that Eastern Uganda offers.

Group 2- After the 9 students descended the mountain from the night of camping, they stayed in dorms at the Crow’s Nest and had an exhilarating day hike to waterfalls and swam in a chilly natural pool. The following day, the group was dedicated to the launch of the very first library, Bulengeni Community Library, in a village on Mt. Elgon with the NGO the Civic Bureau for Inspiration. The students worked tirelessly with the local community, painting the walls, building bookshelves and organizing the books. The ISU students had collected 400 books from the ISU communities which were donated to the Bulengeni Community Library. The students enjoyed a locally prepared lunch, traditional dancing from the community and gave a speech to nearly 1,000 community members who came to witness and appreciate the opening of their first community library. The students were able to open up to others and come back to ISU with experiences from a different culture. They worked cooperatively with other students and teachers, and contributed to a meaningful and worthy community project. From those 5 days out of their protected boundaries, students are very proud to confirm that they broke walls for the better and achieved a lot TOGETHER! Team work was great. What students learned and achieved: "You need to rely on others if you have the same goals" "To be in class -between the walls- is not the only way of learning" "Knowledge and information can be found from different sources" "If you want to be called a citizen of the world, you need to accept differences and respect others". The Bulengeni people thanked us by dancing some local dances and taught us the way they say thank you" "We initiated an action, but we have to make sure that it continues living after us, creating the library, copying the learning environment at ISU - painting the walls- building shelves -encouraging people to read, .....

Tingatinga Mr. Mshana Mzuguno, one of the top Tingatinga painters of Tanzania has arrived at ISU! He joined the grade eight classes on their Week without Walls trip to Lake Nabugabo and together with the students he created a series of amazingly beautiful murals in a local school. You will have the unique opportunity to see Mr.Mshana in action the coming weeks since he will create a series of murals, together with the Visual Arts students, on the side wall of the art room and Mr. McQueen's room. Mr. Mshana Mzuguno and his brothers will have a book launch dedicated to them and their father, the late David Mzuguno, and there will also be a sales exhibition of their spectacular work. The launch and exhibition will be in the Dr.Gibbons hall on the 7th and 8th of March. More information; see Mr. Bogaert

Technology Update

As you are aware the school is in the middle of implementing our one to one laptop program. The use of technology is an important factor in enhancing learning at ISU. Initially we had proposed that the school would purchase laptops for grades 6 to 9 and the parents would then buy them off the school. Grades 10 to 12 would bring their own device. In December the Technology Committee observed that over 75% of the students have their own laptops. It was also noted that the care and upkeep of school computers was becoming extremely time consuming for the school’s technical staff. Therefore the committee made the decision that it would be better if students across all grades brought their own devices. To support this program the school : Will have laptops that are available as loaner laptops for emergency cases. Will issue some software i.e Adobe (not office) Will provide free wireless The recommended specification are : Processor: i3-2348M Processor (2.3GHz, #M Cache) or equivalent System: Windows 7 pro/ Mac OSX, 64-bit English Screen : 13 – 15 “ Anti Glare LED-backlit screen RAM : 4GB Storage: 250GB Battery: + 4 hours + Wireless connectivity, USB ports, Ethernet ports, VGA port (or adapter), microphone, web camera. We look forward to sharing more information regarding these initiatives in the coming year. Shane O Loughlin Integration Specialist

Grade 11 Trip Kibale Forest

The grade 11 trip to the Makerere University Biological Field Station in Kibale Forest was primarily an opportunity for students to complete part of their diploma assessment in Science and Technology – to work in collaborative groups on a research project – but that did not stop everyone having a great time in a wonderful environment.

On the first evening we saw how real research was done with talks from two resident researchers and our own Dr Duffy. We saw animals photographed on night time “camera traps” and learned how the data collected could support conservationists working to save animals such as the endangered Golden Cat. A medical researcher was comparing the health of wild and captive chimps to give an insight into the increased prevalence of heart disease and diabetes amongst humans. Dr Duffy explained how meticulous observation showed how chimps use grooming to improve social standing and breeding opportunities.

The next day we had fact finding walks into the forest and a visit to see cooking briquettes being made from recycled materials followed by work planning and a football match against the research assistants from the local village. We lost!

Next day two groups decided to investigate the burning properties of different briquettes. They made measurements of power and energy output, assessed the efficiency of the stoves and even tried a new recipe of their own: unfortunately the dried elephant dung was rather too smoky.

Meanwhile in the forest one group looked at differences in the ecology, chemical composition and physical properties of a stagnant water pool and a nearby running stream. They showed great ingenuity in estimating the mass of an elephant from the depth of its imprint in the mud.

The final group compared primary forest with previously logged areas and were able to identify many important differences in the biodiversity and biomass of each area.

Initial reports from each group were presented after dinner, including a first – a video presentation in French with English subtitles!