Community Service

Community Service in Primary School

Action in the PYP

Learners are given a voice, choice and ownership of learning through learning experiences that are tailored to their needs. The learners are encouraged to take the big ideas of their learning (the conceptual understandings) further through action. This may be as simple as sharing through traditional means such as posters and presentations. It may also be as complex as building an app or supporting a local organisation.

Records are kept through learner portfolios and school-based publications. This allows the learner to validate what they have accomplished and serves as a driver for further opportunities. The school elevator is an example of a Primary learner’s action. They saw the need and set about lobbying the Governing Council to have it installed.

The Primary learners also support community-based connections through host culture activities. Some may be as simple as participating in the Arts Week, others include inviting local farmers into school to share their local expertise or supporting a street dogs organisation by raising funds in their break time. All are part of the learning experiences that give support to their growing confidence and the ability to be heard.

Community Service in Secondary School

Community Service in Secondary

Service in the Middle Years Programme
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) in the Diploma Programme

Service in the Middle Years Programme (MYP)

The Service programme at Stonehill is referred to as Stonehill in Action (SIA). Action and Service have always been shared values of the Stonehill community. The students take action when they apply what they are learning in the classroom and beyond. Stonehill students strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a commitment to service, making a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

What is the aim of SIA?

SIA aims at developing globally competent and culturally aware students. The students progressively grow to become caring, open-minded, and courageous. They become advocates, who use their academic knowledge and skills to address genuine community needs.

How is SIA structured?
What is the significance of SIA?

How is SIA structured?

SIA is part of the MYP curriculum and is based on the seventeen sustainable development goals set by the United Nations General Assembly. It is interconnected to the Learner Profile and Approaches to Learning (ATLs) set by the IB. Each MYP student is expected to initiate, plan and execute one individual project.

Here are a few examples of completed projects at Stonehill:

The Personal and Social Development (PSD) students educated their juniors on drug abuse.
The Music students planned and executed a concert and raised money for Advantage Elder Care.
The Science students gave a presentation on the dangers of electricity to the Stonehill Government School.
The Arts students created art with children of a neighbouring school and exchanged ideas.

What is the significance of SIA?

The SIA students show perseverance and commitment by planning and initiating activities. They work collaboratively with others, increasing awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth. They take on challenges and develop new skills. They consider the ethical implications of their actions while engaging with issues of local and global importance. It is expected that students will use their knowledge to make a positive difference to the world around them.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) in the Diploma Programme (DP)

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is one of the three essential elements that every student must complete as part of the Diploma Programme (DP). Studied throughout the Diploma Programme, CAS involves the students in a range of activities alongside their academics. CAS has seven learning outcomes but it is not formally assessed. However, the students reflect on their CAS experiences as part of the DP, and provide evidence of achieving the seven learning outcomes.

Making a Difference at Stonehill

The CAS programme at Stonehill is considered vital to the overall development of DP students. The programme is introduced by the coordinator at the beginning of D1 (Grade 11) through a series of slides, talks, videos and discussions. CAS runs for eighteen months and requires each student to understand their own strengths and work on further developing them.

How is CAS structured?
What is the significance of CAS?

How is CAS structured?

The CAS programme is divided into the following three categories:

The C stands for Creativity. Some of the creative things that Stonehill students have done are: learn a new language, paint, creative writing, cooking, gardening and learning to sing.

The A stands for Activity. The students choose to play a sport in teams or engage in an exercise routine. Some of the activity experiences at Stonehill include: football, cricket, swimming, horse riding, trekking, karate and yoga.

The S stands for Service. This refers to any big or small voluntary exchange that makes the world a better place. Service experiences at Stonehill include: painting walls and murals for various institutions, working with children and the elderly, creating websites and content for people in need, making benches for Stonehill, writing plays and songs to create awareness and working with the Stonehill Government School.

CAS is documented individually and the coordinator keeps in touch with each student. Each student has a page where they upload their plans and reflections. The last requirement of the CAS programme is the group project. The students work in groups to create a product or host an event.

What is the significance of CAS?

As the students begin to understand this programme, they begin to think of and initiate projects to show their particular interests and skills. This helps them develop leadership skills, as they are forced to solve problems in unfamiliar circumstances and work with a range of other people.

Students are aware that to be successful at CAS, they need to feel that they have grown as learners, and have made a positive difference to the world around them.

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