Creativity Action Service The Heart of the IB Programme

1. CreativityActionServiceThe Heart of the IB Programme

2. The CAS Journal Your CAS Journal should be highly personalized. There is no required way it must be formatted. It is, however, your way of demonstrating that you have fulfilled the Learning Outcomes required. It becomes the evidence you will submit to fulfill the CAS Requirement to get the IB Diploma. It may be in pencil or pen it may be decorated or plain. As you proceed through your goals and project, you should put the following in your journal:

3. The CAS Journal (cont) Contact information for goal and project mentors in the community Communication (pasted in) from people with whom you participate in activities Reflections on how goals and projects are going as well as how they turned out, what difference you made, and most importantly, how you changed Forms returned to you after approval Pictures or other artifacts of your progress and activities Your CAS Journal will be collected at the end of each trimester and in the late spring before school dismisses for verification purposes. Failure to meet these deadlines can hinder good standing as a Diploma Candidate.

4. Implementation Plan Requirements:Your Goals and Your Project Each year, you will be required to formulate four goals. These goals may be highly personal in nature such as losing weight, being able to run a mile in under five minutes, learning how to do laundry and iron clothes without mom�s help, or learning a new language other than the ones you have studied. The goals must have something to do with something NEW to you. They may also � and at least one must � involve others. These goals also should reflect a balance of Creativity, Action and Service.

5. Implementation Plan Requirements:Your Goals and Your Project In addition to the four goals a year, students must also participate in ONE long term project that must encompass the Learning Outcomes, as well as two of the CAS aspects, Creativity, Action and Service and through which the students demonstrates leadership. This project will be larger in scope than the goals and incorporate other people working together. Thus, it should seem like a �group� Personal Project. These projects should be ongoing so that they culminate in the senior year.

6. What is the purpose of CAS? Involve students in new roles Develop a spirit of open-mindedness and an appreciation for lifelong learning Challenge students to enhance their personal growth Educate the whole person, not just the mind

7. Creativity Artistic activities including music, dance, theatre, visual arts Designing and implementing service projects Examples: Addressing world hunger or global health issues Organizing a peer tutoring group in a neighborhood Planning and implementing an activity to help middle schoolers prepare for high school

8. Action Participation in expeditions Individual sports Team sports Physical activity involved in carrying out service projects

9. Service Building links with individuals or groups in the school, community, national, and international level Doing things for others with others� Examples: Tutoring or mentoring Volunteering with community organizations to help people in need Working on a conservation project

10. What Makes an Activity a CAS Activity? You plan it in advance and set a goal. You interact with others to work toward the goal. You can reflect on your progress during and after the activity. You meet at least one of the 8 learning outcomes.

11. Learning Outcomes Increase awareness of strengths and areas for growth Undertake new challenges Plan and initiate activities Work collaboratively with others Show perseverance and commitment in activities Engage with issues of global importance Consider ethical implications of your actions Develop new skills

12. CAS is NOT: IBDP coursework Any activity for which the student receives payment or similar benefit Tedious, repetitive work Family duties Religious devotion Unsupervised by an adult An activity that could cause division among groups in the community A passive pursuit

13. CAS Guiding Questions Is the activity a new role for me? Does it have real consequences for other people and myself? What do I hope to learn from getting involved? How can this activity benefit other people? On what can I reflect during this activity? What learning outcome will I achieve?

14. CAS Tips Enhance your Action and Creativity by performing a related Service, such as coaching younger students or volunteering to do an art project at a senior center. Enhance your Service by adding Creativity when you take on a role organizing a new dimension of the service or creating a useful tool for the service experience. Enhance your Service by adding Action, such as clearing brush for hiking trails or picking up trash from the shoreline.

15. CAS Expectations Approximately 150 hours over junior and senior years Concurrency of learning � sustained over 18 months; beginning 1st day junior year 8 learning outcomes Collaborative project Portfolio w/ minimum 10 pieces of documentation (reflection & evidence)

16. CAS Portfolio Professional look Needs to include: Summary of activities Approximate hours Reflections Evidence of activities Formal �presentation� in winter/spring senior year

17. Build a CAS Portfolio Possible formats: Scrap book PowerPoint PhotoStory Display board Video Other Arrange by: Activity Learning Outcome Creativity/Action/Service Chronological Other

18. Reflection Examples A paragraph about one of the learning outcomes What you hope to accomplish Difficulties you encountered and overcame (or why you did not overcome the difficulty yet) What you learned about yourself and/or others Abilities, attitudes, or values you developed How someone helped you think about your learning How the activity benefited others How you would improve next time How you can apply what you learned to other situations

19. Evidence Examples Pictures Program with your name Registration or jersey from a race Postage receipt from donations sent oversees Emails sent to organization or supervisor Flier you developed or used Sport schedule Audio of music you played or directed Copy of slides from PowerPoint

20. What needs to be done? Before Activity begins: Submit CAS Pre-Approval Form (we did this in the fall) During Activity: Write reflections Gather evidence Submit copies of reflections and evidence Attach CAS coversheet indicating learning outcome Junior year: November, February, May Senior year: August, December, March Constantly update CAS Portfolio

21. Due Dates for Next Year Reflection and Evidence November junior year February junior year May junior year Portfolio Meeting Spring Portfolio complete with junior year activities Individual student meeting with CAS coordinator

22. CAS Coordinator Ms. Scott is usually in her office or the Theater Forms are available and should be submitted to file in the office. You are invited to visit Ms. Scott or Mr. Sears During Spartan Time on Thursday�s After school by appointment For a quick chat between classes