Creativity, Action, & Service

What is CAS?  Creativity, Action, and Service is the heart of the diploma program.  150 total hours must be completed over an 18 month period.

 Covers a wide range of arts and activities outside the normal curriculum/coursework.  Includes dance, theatre, music, & art.  About 50 hours  Should be a personal challenge-”tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope”

 Participation in individual and/or team sports, and physical activities outside the normal curriculum.  About 5o hours  “Setting goals, and planning and reflecting on their achievement, is vital.”

 Doing things for others and with others  Serving individuals or groups in the community.  The community may be the school or town (local level), or beyond (national or international level).  “It is essential that service activities have learning benefits for the student”  About 50 hours

 Establish links with local, national, and international communities  Challenge the student  Develop a spirit of discovery and self-reliance  Encourage responsibility  Enhance personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning  Provide counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the Diploma program  Extension to subject work.  Should be student initiated.

1. Increased awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth 2. Undertake new challenges 3. Planned and initiated activities 4. Work collaboratively with others 5. Show perseverance and commitment to your activities 6. Engage with issues of global importance 7. Consider the ethical implications of your actions 8. Develop new skills  There must be some evidence for every outcome (journal/final products)

 Students “own” their personal CAS program  With guidance from the coordinator, students find/choose activities interesting and relevant to them.

 Set personal goals for what you hope to achieve in CAS program.  Keep a record of your activities with signatures, pictures, and other documentation.  Reflect on the activities in the form of scrapbooks, photo essays, videos/DVDs, blogs, journals, portfolios, or PowerPoints  Show evidence of the 8 Learning Outcomes in your reflections.

 Meet with your CAS coordinator 4 times during junior and senior year  1 st meeting: End of August/beginning of September  Bring your ideas and questions  2 nd meeting: End of year (May 2015)  Show me evidence that you’ve completed about half of your hours  3 rd meeting: Senior year, end of 1 st semester (December 2015)  Check in to show me what else you’ve completed and what you’re needing assistance with  4 th meeting: Senior year (April 2016)  Bring me all evidence of completed CAS hours-binders, etc.

 I will need to see:  All log sheets with signatures  A journal which provides evidence of learning outcomes  Journal can be a :  blog  PowerPoint  Scrapbook  Hand written journal  Video  Photo essay  Portfolio  Names of students who successfully fulfill the CAS requirements are recorded.  IB periodically asks to see samples of CAS.