Who is involved with Community and Service?
To answer this in one word: everyone! This area of interaction encourages students to reach beyond their learning in the classroom. Their experiences will involve family and people within the community.
It allows students the opportunity to develop:
Sensitivity to the needs of the community and society in general
Awareness of the role of the individual within a community
A willingness and the skills to respond to the needs of others
An altruistic attitude which enriches the life of the student through enhanced insight into different social patterns and ways of life.
Community and Service is an essential aspect of the IB program. Students will become more aware of their roles as they continue with their service experiences.
|
What does Community and Service look like?
Service hours are achieved by completing experiences in which:
You don’t get paid
You are taking yourself outside your of “comfort zone”
You help the community, not just family or friends
What’s a “comfort zone?”
Any time you feel at ease and comfortable with what is happening around you, you’re in your “comfort zone”. The IB learner profile includes that students should push themselves to become risk-takers. This means you “approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas, and strategies.” |
Make it work!
You can take an unapproved project and turn it into a service hour opportunity. Here is an example:
Unacceptable: Babysitting for a neighbor, your family, a friend
Acceptable: Babysitting for a person who is ill or an organization
Remember: If you aren’t sure your opportunity counts as service hours, check with your supervising teacher beforehand. If you don’t, it may not count, and you’ve wasted your time!
You could be a Mustang Mentor
|
Ideas for Service Hours
Ask yourself: How can I make a difference?
Curricular-based projects
Mustang Mentor
Volunteer Club projects
Work on a Student Council “drive”
School-sponsored dances, sports, etc.
Office, library, teacher aide
Any approved project that is promoted through a class
Read to the elderly, to young people
Write letters to troops
Clean up a park
Aid people with special needs
Feed the needy |
Create your own!
If you think of an opportunity to help others, but you need to organize it, talk to your supervising teacher! Create your own opportunities to help others. Doing something like this has many features of the IB learner profile!
Inquirer ........................................Reflective
Knowledgeable ............................Balanced
Thinker ........................................Risk-Taker
Communicator .............................Caring
Principled ....................................Open-Minded
Service Hours Requirements
The required number of service hours for each grade level are as follows:
Sixth Grade: Ten Hours
Seventh Grade: Fifteen Hours
Eighth Grade: Fifteen Hours
If at any time you have a question of what is and is not okay for service hours, ask your supervising teacher before you complete the hours, or else they might not count! |
Reflection Questions
Students will select at least three questions for reflection and write 250 to 350 words for the entire reflection.
What drew you to the community service project you chose?
What were your greatest challenges in completing the project?
How did you feel before, during and after the project?
What did your experience teach you?
What questions did your experience raise in your mind?
What would you do differently if you were to repeat the project?
What was the most rewarding, worthwhile part of the project?
How did you serve someone else through your project?
How would you advise a student who was planning to do the same project?
Could your project be duplicated in other cultures? Why or Why not?
Where were you able to apply your creativity during the project?
What types of problems did you have to solve to complete your project? |
Service Hours Timeline
Students should be continually searching for community service opportunities.
First Deadline: Before Thanksgiving Break
Students will submit their reflection for any completed service hours to their supervising teacher.
If no service hours were completed, students must complete an action plan form which outlines what steps they will take to attain service hours before the next deadline.
Last Deadline: Before Spring Break
Students will submit their reflection for any or all completed service hours that were not reflected upon since Thanksgiving Break.
If no service hours or not enough service hours were completed, the supervising teacher will make a parent contact. |
Community Service Downloads
All in pdf format
CS Action Plan
CS Record
CS Reflection Rubric
CS Reflection Sample
CS Reflection Directions
|
International Baccalaureate
Middle Years Programme 
