On Friday morning, Secondary School students had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation on ‘balancing life and elite-level training with academic responsibilities’ with Matthew Lawrence.  Matthew is an AISM Alumnus and Olympian who understands exactly what it means to represent your school and compete in ISSEA. During his school career, he won over 12 ISSEA gold medals and still holds 6 ISSEA individual records that stand today.

On the international stage, Matthew has secured multiple medals at CANA Zone 4 and a Silver medal at the Junior African Championships. Most notably, he competed at the recent Paris Olympics. He is currently studying a BSC in Management at Nova SB in Portugal. Matthew is a Buffalo for life and has a wealth of knowledge who understands the demands on our student athletes and how to best balance those competing demands. AISM is certainly proud of all that Matthew has accomplished and students thoroughly enjoyed his presentation!

We are delighted to announce that AISM’s IB Diploma Programme students achieved a 100% pass rate in the May 2025 IB Diploma examination session, including seven Portuguese/English Bilingual Diplomas. They earned a 100% subject pass rate across a broad mix of disciplines, including Studies A Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, History, Psychology, Economics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Visual Arts, and the IB Core.

Their achievement surpasses the world average, indicating the unwavering dedication of our students, the passion and expertise of our faculty, and the support of our entire school community. We celebrate not only the results but also the journey, marked by resilience, perseverance, integrity, and global-mindedness, especially in a school year as challenging as 2024-2025, shaped by numerous political and economic disruptions in Mozambique and around the world.

Congratulations to the students, parents, and the whole AISM community. A huge shout-out to our dedicated teachers for the guidance and care they provided. Here’s to many more milestones ahead!

The PYP Exhibition is a milestone event that marks the culmination of our students’ journey through the Primary Years Programme. It’s a powerful opportunity for students to delve deeply into a real-world issue that matters to them personally, engage in meaningful inquiry, and showcase their learning. Through this process, students embody the attributes of the IB Learner Profile and demonstrate essential Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills.

After weeks of brainstorming, researching, questioning, creating, taking action, and reflecting, our students concluded this unit with the PYP Exhibition Gala. We invite you to take a look back at their journey — one filled with curiosity, courage, and collaboration.

The exhibition journey began with thoughtful conversations and collaborative discussions. Students engaged in presentations to build background knowledge and even had the chance to connect with Grade 6 students, asking questions and gathering insights from those who’ve been through the experience. Parents joined us online to learn more about the process and how they could support their children at home.
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With excitement building, students crafted their central ideas, developed lines of inquiry, and posed key questions to guide their research. Using a variety of sources, they honed their research skills — paraphrasing, organizing their thinking, and developing systems for note-taking and synthesis.

Throughout the journey, students worked closely with mentor teachers who offered support in everything from conducting interviews to time management and organizing ideas. These mentors were vital sounding boards and encouraged students to dig deeper.
A highlight of the process was the connection to our broader community. Students conducted interviews with individuals in Maputo and across the globe, gaining first hand perspectives on their topics. Many also ventured into the community for field experiences that enriched their understanding. With your help — especially parent volunteers — students made real-world connections that elevated their inquiries. Thank you to the many people that supported these experiences. 

Before the big night, students shared their learning with peers, younger grades, and even students from Aga Khan Academy. These rehearsals were not just practice; they were a chance to reflect, receive feedback, and build confidence. The exchange of ideas sparked engaging conversations and gave our students the chance to truly own their learning journey.

And then came the grand finale — the PYPx Gala. If there's one word to capture the evening, it's magical. The joy, the pride, the meaningful conversations, and the radiant smiles from students and families alike made the night unforgettable. It was a celebration not just of the projects, but of the process — the growth, the courage, and the dedication each student showed.

To our incredible teachers and parents — thank you. Your unwavering support, encouragement, and willingness to walk alongside our learners made this experience meaningful and memorable.
The PYP Exhibition is about so much more than the gala or even the topics themselves. The true magic lies in the skills our students have developed: confidence, resilience, perseverance, cooperation, and the courage to take risks. These are the qualities that will carry them far beyond Grade 5.

Kristen Prideaux
PYP Coordinator

We are excited to launch a new journalism initiative at the school, where a team of student journalists are creating and curating news stories from around our community, both inside and outside the school gates.  We have titled our online magazine 'The Buffalo Blog' and our first AISM core journalism team is made up of this exceptional group of students from grades 7-10: 

• Tendai
• Alexandre 
• Atharv 
• Shailee 
• Danae 
• Gaia 
• Cora 
• Felix 

I am heading up the project on the teacher’s side, meeting with the student journalists on Mondays and liaising with them throughout the week. As we move forward, we are also excited about other students using this opportunity to express themselves and develop valuable communication skills, be it a focus on journalistic writing, photography, or video editing to name a few.  Estelle and Ryan from Grade 6 will be adding a music story soon, whilst Grade 9 students Laia and Polly are also planning on getting involved to bring in travel tales and health warnings! 

In the meantime, check out the latest stories about our new MUN leadership (Felix), our volleyball teams (Alex), a unique Grade 8 Shakespeare project (Ashton and Connie), and a Grade 6 creative ATL project (Mr Rui). 

Heating up on the press are further exciting articles on our scuba diving ASA (Cora), the effects of music on the brain while studying (Atharv), Mozambique’s first professional surfer (Tendai), and bullying in school environments (Gaia). 

Do you have any ideas for other exciting content for the site? If so, please get in touch with me at [email protected] or the PTA representatives. 

Rui da Silva